Abstract
The phylogenetic position and inner relationships of Dermaptera remain unresolved despite the numerous efforts using morphological and molecular data. To facilitate the resolution of problems, this study sequenced the complete mitogenome of Apachyusfeae de Bormans, 1894 (Apachyidae) and the nearly complete mitogenome of Diplatysflavicollis Shiraki, 1907 (Diplatyidae). The 19,029-bp long mitogenome of A.feae exhibited an extra trnV gene and two control regions in addition to the typical set of 37 genes including 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, and two ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes. The 12,950-bp long partially sequenced mitogenome of D.flavicollis was composed of 10 and a partial fragment of PCGs, 18 tRNA genes, two rRNA genes, and a control region. Comparative analysis of available earwig mitogenomes revealed variable mitogenomic structure and extensive gene rearrangements in Dermaptera. The preliminary phylogenetic analyses using Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood methods showed identical results, but the limited sampling and different types of molecular data lead to an apparent incongruence with previous phylogenetic studies.
Highlights
Dermaptera are a small group of ancient insects in Polyneoptera, with more than 1900 extant species within 11 families known worldwide (Haas 2018)
In the mitogenome of A. feae, an extra trnV gene and two control regions are found in addition to the standard set of 37 genes (13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes and two ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes) (Table 2)
In A. feae, there are 56 overlapping nucleotides located in three pairs of neighboring genes, and the longest overlap is 41-bp long and located between trnT and ND4L (Table 2)
Summary
Dermaptera (earwigs) are a small group of ancient insects in Polyneoptera, with more than 1900 extant species within 11 families known worldwide (Haas 2018). The characteristics such as forceps‐like, unsegmented cerci in the adults of this group are functional in predation, defense, wingfolding and mating (Haas et al 2000). Most earwigs are free-living and commonly found in damp areas feeding on plant materials, spores, fungi, or insects (Haas 2018). The majority of earwigs are oviparous, whereas the epizoic groups are viviparous, i.e., directly giving birth to nymphs. Unusual maternal care behavior is found in all studied earwig species, with the female protecting eggs and first‐instar nymphs (Suzuki et al 2005; Staerkle and Koelliker 2008)
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