Abstract
Simple SummaryAtkinsoniella is a large genus of 98 species across the world and 88 species recorded in China within the globally distributed subfamily Cicadellinae, which is phytophagous, and some of which have been reported as important agricultural pests. Some Atkinsoniella species are very similar in morphological characteristics, making accurate identification at species level confusing. To provide further evidence toward understanding the relationships within the genus Atkinsoniella and subfamily Cicadellinae, mitogenomes of 12 Atkinsoniella sibling species were obtained and annotated. Their characteristics were comparatively analyzed. In addition, the comprehensive phylogenetic relationship within the subfamily Cicadellinae was determined based on three mitochondrial datasets using both the maximum-likelihood (ML) and Bayesian inference (BI) methods. The results suggested that the genus Atkinsoniella was recovered as a monophyletic group. The branches of the 12 newly sequenced species were clearly separated, with most nodes receiving strong support in all analyses, indicating that mitogenomics is an effective method for identifying closely related species and understanding their phylogenetic and evolutionary relationships.The herbivorous leafhopper genus Atkinsoniella Distant, 1908 (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Cicadellinae), a large genus of subfamily Cicadellinae, consists of 98 valid species worldwide and 88 species recorded in China. Some species of the genus are very similar in morphological characteristics, so they are difficult to identify accurately. In this study, 12 mitochondrial genomes of Atkinsoniella species with similar morphological characteristics were first obtained through high-throughput sequencing, which featured a typical circular molecule of 15,034–15,988 bp in length. The arrangement and orientation of 37 genes were identical to those of typical Cicadellidae mitogenomes. The phylogenetic relationship within the subfamily Cicadellinae was reconstructed using maximum-likelihood (ML) and Bayesian inference (BI) methods based on three concatenated datasets. The topological structures of the six obtained phylogenetic trees were highly consistent. The results suggested that Atkinsoniella was recovered as a monophyletic group and emerged as a sister group with the monophyletic clade of Bothrogonia, Paracrocampsa (part), and Draeculacephala (part). The branches of the 12 newly sequenced species were clearly separated, with most nodes receiving strong support in all analyses. In addition, the key to the 12 Atkinsoniella species was provided to identify species according to morphological characteristics. This study further promotes research on the classification, genetics, evolution, and phylogeny of the genus Atkinsoniella and subfamily Cicadellinae.
Highlights
Cicadellinae is a relatively large subfamily within the family Cicadellidae (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha: Cicadelloidea), which is the largest family in Hemiptera, with over 23,000 species in 25 subfamilies [1,2]
All of the mitogenomes are closed circular molecules ranging from 15,034 bp (A. thalia) to 15,988 bp (A. curvata) in length, encoding 37 typical mitochondrial genes, including 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA genes, two ribosomal RNA genes, and a control region (CR)
Variable intergenic spacers and overlap were commonly found in the 12 mitogenomes; the Insects 2022, 13, x FOR PEER REVIEWlongest intergenic spacer was 4 bp between trnY and COX1, and the largest overla6popf i2n0g region was 8 bp, where trnC was included in trnW (Table S2)
Summary
Cicadellinae is a relatively large subfamily within the family Cicadellidae (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha: Cicadelloidea), which is the largest family in Hemiptera, with over 23,000 species in 25 subfamilies [1,2]. Atkinsoniella, a large genus within the subfamily Cicadellinae, is mainly distributed in the Oriental realm and the Palearctic realm, with almost 98 valid species distributed worldwide and 88 species recorded in China [3,7]. The identification of Cicadellinae insects is mainly based on the external morphological and male genitalia characteristics of adults. Atkinsoniella exhibits extremely similar morphological characteristics among some species, such as the 12 species that are included in this study. Their wings are all yellow with relatively few variable markings. As important morphological characteristics for identifying Cicadellinae species, the male genitalia of 12 Atkinsoniella species showed little difference, causing some yellow-winged Atkinsoniella species samples to be identified only to the genus level
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