Abstract
The hoverflies Episyrphus balteatus and Eupeodes corollae (Diptera: Muscomorpha: Syrphidae) are important natural aphid predators. We obtained mitochondrial genome sequences from these two species using methods of PCR amplification and sequencing. The complete Episyrphus mitochondrial genome is 16,175 bp long while the incomplete one of Eupeodes is 15,326 bp long. All 37 typical mitochondrial genes are present in both species and arranged in ancestral positions and directions. The two mitochondrial genomes showed a biased A/T usage versus G/C. The cox1, cox2, cox3, cob and nad1 showed relatively low level of nucleotide diversity among protein-coding genes, while the trnM was the most conserved one without any nucleotide variation in stem regions within Muscomorpha. Phylogenetic relationships among the major lineages of Muscomorpha were reconstructed using a complete set of mitochondrial genes. Bayesian and maximum likelihood analyses generated congruent topologies. Our results supported the monophyly of five species within the Syrphidae (Syrphoidea). The Platypezoidea was sister to all other species of Muscomorpha in our phylogeny. Our study demonstrated the power of the complete mitochondrial gene set for phylogenetic analysis in Muscomorpha.
Highlights
Muscomorpha (Diptera: Brachycera), an infraorder of Brachycera, is a large and diverse group of flies, containing the bulk of the Brachycera
Schizophora can be divided into two subsections, the Acalyptratae and Calyptratae, commonly referred to as acalyptrate muscoids and calyptrate muscoids, respectively[15]
In contrast to the fairly uniform flower-feeding habits of adult syrphids, the larvae eat a wide range of foods
Summary
Schizophora can be divided into two subsections, the Acalyptratae and Calyptratae, commonly referred to as acalyptrate muscoids and calyptrate muscoids, respectively[15]. Hoverflies, called flower flies, compose the insect family Syrphidae This family contains almost 6,000 described species in 200 genera, and is nearly worldwide in distribution[17,18]. Larvae of the subfamily Eristalinae are saprophagous in dead wood, eating decaying plant and animal matter in soil, ponds, or streams[19,20]; whereas Microdontinae larvae are inquilines in ants’ nests[21]; and Syrphinae larvae are insectivores, preying on aphids, thrips, and other plant-sucking insects[17,22,23]. We compared genome features and investigated phylogenetic relationships within Muscomorpha using complete mitochondrial genomes from GenBank along with our two newly sequenced mitochondrial genomes (Table 1)
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