DNA barcoding using the COI gene offers the potential for robust species
identification of most animal taxa. Although initial testing of COI has been largely successful, there are several caveats which could diminish its robustness. The methodology therefore requires extensive empirical proof which firstly necessitates the development of a comprehensive COI database for various groups of animals, and using this, the efficiency of the technique can then be demonstrated across diverse taxa and at all taxonomic levels. Species identification in the morphologically cryptic Asian green pitviper group is a challenge, and COI barcoding could serve as a particularly useful technique for species distinction. They also provide an ideal testing ground for the ability of COI barcodes in recovering taxonomic information from various lineages. Three genera (Viridovipera, Popeia, and Parias) were used for this study, the former two having been scrutinized by a number of workers using traditional and modern taxonomic methods. The results show that COI barcoding is only moderately successful at recovering taxonomic information at the intergeneric level, but more useful at species level. While COI barcoding performs best in a well resolved taxonomic framework, this study raises some important questions for the taxonomy of two genera Parias and Popeia.