Abstract
Chrysopidae (green lacewings) is the second largest family in Neuroptera, and it includes medium-size lacewings largely recognized by the presence of golden-colored eyes, bright green bodies and delicate wings with dense venation patterns. The subfamily Chrysopinae includes 97% of the species diversity in the family and it is currently divided into four tribes: Ankylopterygini, Belonopterygini, Chrysopini and Leucochrysini. Here we sequenced and annotated the nearly complete mitochondrial genomes of four species of each these tribes: Abachrysa eureka, Italochrysa insignis, Leucochrysa pretiosa, Parankyloteryx sp. We then reconstructed the phylogenetic relationships with estimated divergence times among tribes of Chrysopinae based on the mt genomic data. Our results suggest that Chrysopinae sans Nothancyla verreauxi evolved as two reciprocally monophyletic lineages formed by stem members of the tribes Leucochrysini plus Belonopterygini on one hand, and the stem members of Ankylopterygini plus Chrysopini on the other. Our estimations of divergence times place the diversification of stem Chrysopinae into the extant tribes during the Middle Jurassic to Late Cretaceous. The relatively young ages previously estimated for the green lacewing divergences were probably underestimated due to false inferences of homology between non-sister taxa that are later correctly identified as homoplasy after more taxa are added.
Highlights
Green lacewings (Chrysopidae) are charismatic, medium-sized neuropterans frequently encountered in most ecosystems
The absence of a resolved phylogenetic hypothesis was a distinct limitation, and over the years several attempts were made to elucidate the relationships within Chrysopidae, while at the same time testing the monophyly of suprageneric groups suggested by Brooks and Barnard[1]
Because of the high A + T composition and complicated secondary structure, we were unable to amplify the control regions as well as the genes approaching it in the four species
Summary
(Ankylopterygini) are quite different from that in the other three species we sequenced (Fig. 2), e.g. trnR and trnS2 (UCN) Among these variable tRNAs, the acceptor stems of trnL2 (CUN) and trnP possess T-A pair in Parankylopteryx sp., while in the other taxa the C-G pair is present instead. This supports the result of phylogenetic analysis that Belonopterygini is the sister group of Leucochrysini, while Ankylopterygini is distantly related to them. Chrysopinae was recovered sister to Apochrysinae plus Nothochrysinae, which is consistent with results of previous studies using nuclear genes only[5, 6]. It is found in most representative sampled in Chrysopinae, except Chrysoperla and Chrysopa These results suggest two evolutionary scenarios that (1) larval trash carrying evolved once in stem chrysopids and has Family Chrysopidae
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