A Combined Molecular and Morphological Approach to Explore the Higher Phylogeny of Entimine Weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), with Special Reference to South American Taxa

Adriana Marvaldi,Nicolás Rocamundi,Vanina Pereyra,María Del Río,Analía Lanteri

doi:10.3390/d10030095

Abstract

The Entiminae are broad-nosed weevils constituting the most diverse subfamily of Curculionidae, with over 50 tribes. We performed Bayesian and Maximum Parsimony combined phylogenetic analyses with the main objective of testing higher-level relationships and the naturalness of the major Neotropical and Southern South American (Patagonia and Andes) tribes, including some members from other regions. We compiled a data matrix of 67 terminal units with 63 Entiminae species, as well as four outgroup taxa from Cyclominae, by 3522 molecular (from nuclear 18S rDNA and 28S rDNA, and mitochondrial 16S rDNA and COI gene sequences) and 70 morphological characters. The resulting trees recover a clade Entiminae with a monophyletic Cylydrorhinini and Premnotrypes branching off early. The tree resulting from parsimony analysis shows a clade of Leptopiini from the Australian region and another clade including taxa mainly distributed in the Palaearctic and Neotropical regions, but in the Bayesian tree the South American and Australian Leptopiini are grouped together. The mainly Palaearctic Entiminae (e.g., Brachyderini, Laparocerini, Otiorhynchini, Peritelini, Polydrusini, Phyllobiini and Sciaphylini) form a subclade separated from Southern Hemisphere taxa. Among the latter, the well-supported Naupactini are the sister group of the South American Tanymecini, excluding Platyaspistes, herein transferred to Leptopiini (new placement). Another well-justified clade is Eustylini–Geonemini, which also includes the enigmatic Galapagonotus, and the genus Artipus, thus corroborating its recent exclusion from Naupactini.

Highlights

Entiminae constitute the most species-rich subfamily of Curculionoidea, with about 12,000 described species worldwide, classified into ca. 1370 genera and 54 tribes [1,2,3]
Of Entiminae is suggested by some synapomorphic characters in the adult
We present results of a phylogenetic study focused on South American tribes of Entiminae

Summary

Introduction

Entiminae constitute the most species-rich subfamily of Curculionoidea, with about 12,000 described species worldwide, classified into ca. 1370 genera and 54 tribes [1,2,3]. Molecular analyses consistently show the Entiminae as being part of a larger clade of broad-nosed weevils that includes taxa classified in the Cyclominae and Hyperinae [5,6,7,8,9,10]. Such molecular studies, do not provide evidence supporting a clade Entiminae distinct from Cyclominae, except for a shared gene order rearrangement in the mitogenome [7,11]. Among the structural features that would support the monophyly of “broad-nosed weevils” are the bilobed, largely sclerotized basal part of male sternite IX, the meso- and metatibiae apically either unarmed or mucronate (not uncinate) and the occurrence of iridescent scales with a particular nanostructure [3]

Methods

Results

Conclusion