Higher-level phylogenetic relationships of rove beetles (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae) inferred from mitochondrial genome sequences

Abstract

Rove beetles (Staphylinidae) and allied families constitute a huge radiation of Coleoptera, but basal relationships in this group remain controversial. In this study, we newly sequenced eight mitogenomes of representatives of Staphylinidae by using next-generation sequencing method. Together with 99 existing mitogenomes of Staphyliniformia, (sub)family relationships were investigated with ML and Bayesian searches under various substitution models and data recoding schemes. The results consistently supported Scydmaenidae and Silphidae to be subordinate groups of Staphylinidae. Within the monophyletic Staphylinidae (including Scydmaenidae and Silphidae), the hypothesis of four major subfamily groups cannot be confirmed. Bayesian inferences under the site-heterogeneous mixture model generally supported the basal position of major clades corresponding to the Omaliine group. At the subfamily level, the monophyly of Pselaphinae, Oxytelinae, Scaphidiinae, Steninae and Staphylininae was supported. However, the subfamilies Omaliinae, Tachyporinae, Aleocharinae and Paederinae were each non-monophyletic.