Tribe Level Research Articles

Phylogenetic and Comparative Genomics Study of Papilionidae Based on Mitochondrial Genomes.

Most species of Papilionidae are large and beautiful ornamental butterflies. They are recognized as model organisms in ecology, evolutionary biology, genetics, and conservation biology but present numerous unresolved phylogenetic problems. Complete mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) have been widely used in phylogenetic studies of butterflies, but mitogenome knowledge within the family Papilionidae is limited, and its phylogeny is far from resolved. In this study, we first report the mitogenome of Byasa confusa from the subfamily Papilioninae of Papilionidae. The mitogenome of B. confusa is 15,135 bp in length and contains 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes, and an AT-rich control region (CR), closely mirroring the genomic structure observed in related butterfly species. Comparative analysis of 77 Papilionidae mitogenomes shows gene composition and order to be identical to that of an ancestral insect, and the AT bias, Ka/Ks, and relative synonymous codon usage (RSCU) are all consistent with that of other reported butterfly mitogenomes. We conducted phylogenetic analyses using maximum-likelihood (ML) and Bayesian-inference (BI) methods, with 77 Papilionidae species as ingroups and two species of Nymphalidae and Lycaenidae as outgroups. The phylogenetic analysis indicated that B. confusa were clustered within Byasa. The phylogenetic trees show the monophyly of the subfamily Papilioninae and the tribes Leptocircini, Papilionini, and Troidini. The data supported the following relationships in tribe level on Papilioninae: (((Troidini + Papilionini) + Teinopalpini) + Leptocircini). The divergence time analysis suggests that Papilionidae originated in the late Creataceous. Overall, utilizing the largest number of Papilionidae mitogenomes sequenced to date, with the current first exploration in a phylogenetic analysis on Papilionidae (including four subfamilies), this study comprehensively reveals the mitogenome characteristics and mitogenome-based phylogeny, providing information for further studies on the mitogenome, phylogeny, evolution, and taxonomic revision of the Papilionidae family.

Phylogenomics of the geometrid tribe Palyadini (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) reveals contrasting patterns of phylogenetic signal in wing colour characters.

Next generation sequencing techniques currently represent a practical and efficient way to infer robust evolutionary hypotheses. Palyadini is a small Neotropical tribe of geometrid moths composed of six genera that feature strikingly colourful wings. Here, we investigated patterns of evolution and amount of phylogenetic signal contained in various colour characters featured in the wings of members of this tribe by (i) inferring a robust phylogenetic hypothesis using ultraconserved elements (UCEs), and afterwards, (ii) mapping the morphological characters onto the molecular topology under a parsimonious ancestral character optimization. Our matrix, obtained with 60% completeness, includes 754 UCE loci and 73 taxa (64 ingroup, nine outgroup). Maximum likelihood and parsimony generated largely identical topologies with strongly supported nodes, except for one node inside the genus Opisthoxia. According to our topology, most wing colour characters are reconstructed as homoplastic, particularly at the tribe level, but five of the seven provide evidence supporting common ancestry at the genus level. Our results emphasize, once again, that no character system is infallible, and that more research is necessary to take our understanding of the evolution of wing colour in moths to a level comparable with the knowledge we have for butterflies.

Phylogenomics resolves the higher-level phylogeny of herbivorous eriophyoid mites (Acariformes: Eriophyoidea)

BackgroundEriophyoid mites (Eriophyoidea) are among the largest groups in the Acariformes; they are strictly phytophagous. The higher-level phylogeny of eriophyoid mites, however, remains unresolved due to the limited number of available morphological characters—some of them are homoplastic. Nevertheless, the eriophyoid mites sequenced to date showed highly variable mitochondrial (mt) gene orders, which could potentially be useful for resolving the higher-level phylogenetic relationships.ResultsHere, we sequenced and compared the complete mt genomes of 153 eriophyoid mite species, which showed 54 patterns of rearranged mt gene orders relative to that of the hypothetical ancestor of arthropods. The shared derived mt gene clusters support the monophyly of eriophyoid mites (Eriophyoidea) as a whole and the monophylies of six clades within Eriophyoidea. These monophyletic groups and their relationships were largely supported in the phylogenetic trees inferred from mt genome sequences as well. Our molecular dating results showed that Eriophyoidea originated in the Triassic and diversified in the Cretaceous, coinciding with the diversification of angiosperms.ConclusionsThis study reveals multiple molecular synapomorphies (i.e. shared derived mt gene clusters) at different levels (i.e. family, subfamily or tribe level) from the complete mt genomes of 153 eriophyoid mite species. We demonstrated the use of derived mt gene clusters in unveiling the higher-level phylogeny of eriophyoid mites, and underlines the origin of these mites and their co-diversification with angiosperms.

Unraveling the Phylogenetic Relationships and Taxonomic Status of a Puzzling Freshwater Mussel Genus Inversidens (Bivalvia, Unionidae) through Multilocus Phylogeny and Mitochondrial Phylogenomics

Accurate phylogenetic reconstructions are crucial for comprehending the evolutionary histories, reproductive traits, and ecological habits of organisms. The subfamily Gonideinae of freshwater mussels is currently thought to include eight tribes. However, due to inadequate taxon sampling and molecular data, the assignment of the freshwater mussel genus Inversidens at the tribe level has been unstable. Additionally, the lack of phylogenetic data has hindered efforts to understand the basic biology and implementation of conservation efforts of Inversidens rentianensis, an endemic species to China. Here, we first present the complete mitochondrial genome of Inversidens rentianensis and offer a detailed description of its anatomical morphology. Based on DNA sequence data from five genes (COI, ND1, 16S rRNA, 18S rRNA, and 28S rRNA) and complete mitochondrial genomes, we investigated the phylogenetic position of Inversidens using various analytical methods. Both the concatenated five-gene and mitogenome datasets strongly supported that Inversidens classified to the tribe Gonideini in Gonideinae and formed a basal clade within the tribe Gonideini. Molecular dating analysis suggested that Inversidens originated during the mid-Cretaceous era (102.73 Mya, 95% highest posterior density HPD=72.22‐137.03 Mya) and underwent diversification in the Late Paleogene era (37.92 Mya, 95% HPD=20.39‐60.59 Mya). Moreover, based on the Quantitative Assessment of Species for Conservation (QASCP), Inversidens rentianensis is ranked as second priority, providing valuable insights for its management and conservation efforts. Taken together, this study provides a comprehensive understanding of the systematic position and evolutionary history of Inversidens within the currently accepted subfamily Gonideinae classification framework. These findings establish a solid foundation for future investigations on the ecology, reproductive behavior patterns, and conservation biology of this taxonomic group.

A supplementary description of Typhlodromina conspicua (Garman) (Acari: Phytoseiidae) from Türkiye, with comments on its taxonomic status

ABSTRACT Typhlodromina conspicua (Garman) (Acari: Phytoseiidae) and the genus Typhlodromina are reported from Türkiye for the first time. Many morphological details, including measurements of dorsal setae, were missing in its original description. In addition, there are inconsistencies regarding the dorsal setal lengths and number of macrosetae on leg IV among the redescriptions of this species by different authors. Most importantly, we observed five setae (pd absent) on trochanter I of this species, compared to six in many groups of the subfamily Typhlodrominae, which have been mainly reported from the Palearctic region. Therefore, a supplementary description and new illustrations of this species are provided, based on female specimens collected from Populus deltoides and P. nigra (Salicaceae) trees in Samsun Province on the Black Sea coast. In addition, the important diagnostic characters of this species are reviewed to facilitate species delimitation. Based on our examinations of two of the six known species of the genus, it appears that Typhlodromina spp. could be elevated to the level of tribe or subfamily, based on their distinctive morphological characters. However, additional molecular analysis, in combination with the use of morphological characters, would help to confirm the taxonomic status of Typhlodromina.

Charcoal anatomy of Brazilian species. III. Melastomataceae

Abstract Charcoal anatomy descriptions are paramount for identifying unknown charcoal specimens in different contexts. They form an integral part of anthracological studies, which can provide crucial information for researchers of different expertise. This paper describes the charcoal anatomy of 21 species in two subfamilies (Melastomatoideae and Olisbeoideae) of Melastomataceae native to Brazil. From those, six species are here described for the first time. The results point to clear distinction between the anatomical types inside the two studied subfamilies along with a relative homogeneity in anatomical features inside Melastomatoideae. For the latter, small qualitative and quantitative differences were identified, but intrageneric and interspecific variability hamper reliable identification in generic or tribe level.

A supermatrix phylogeny of the world’s bees (Hymenoptera: Anthophila)

The increasing availability of large molecular phylogenies has provided new opportunities to study the evolution of species traits, their origins and diversification, and biogeography; yet there are limited attempts to synthesise existing phylogenetic information for major insect groups. Bees (Hymenoptera: Anthophila) are a large group of insect pollinators that have a worldwide distribution, and a wide variation in ecology, morphology, and life-history traits, including sociality. For these reasons, as well as their major economic importance as pollinators, numerous molecular phylogenetic studies of family and genus-level relationships have been published, providing an opportunity to assemble a bee ‘tree-of-life’. We used publicly available genetic sequence data, including phylogenomic data, reconciled to a taxonomic database, to produce a concatenated supermatrix phylogeny for the Anthophila comprising 4,586 bee species, representing 23% of species and 82% of genera. At family, subfamily, and tribe levels, support for expected relationships was robust, but between and within some genera relationships remain uncertain. Within families, sampling of genera ranged from 67 to 100% but species coverage was lower (17–41%). Our phylogeny mostly reproduces the relationships found in recent phylogenomic studies with a few exceptions. We provide a summary of these differences and the current state of molecular data available and its gaps. We discuss the advantages and limitations of this bee supermatrix phylogeny (available online at beetreeoflife.org), which may enable new insights into long standing questions about evolutionary drivers in bees, and potentially insects more generally.

Ancient DNA is preserved in fish fossils from tropical lake sediments.

Tropical freshwater lakes are well known for their high biodiversity, and particularly the East African Great Lakes are renowned for their adaptive radiation of cichlid fishes. While comparative phylogenetic analyses of extant species flocks have revealed patterns and processes of their diversification, little is known about evolutionary trajectories within lineages, the impacts of environmental drivers, or the scope and nature of now-extinct diversity. Time-structured palaeodata from geologically young fossil records, such as fossil counts and particularly ancient DNA (aDNA) data, would help fill this large knowledge gap. High ambient temperatures can be detrimental to the preservation of DNA, but refined methodology now allows data generation even from very poorly preserved samples. Here, we show for the first time that fish fossils from tropical lake sediments yield endogenous aDNA. Despite generally low endogenous content and high sample dropout, the application of high-throughput sequencing and, in some cases, sequence capture allowed taxonomic assignment and phylogenetic placement of 17% of analysed fish fossils to family or tribe level, including remains which are up to 2700 years old or weigh less than 1mg. The relationship between aDNA degradation and the thermal age of samples is similar to that described for terrestrial samples from cold environments when adjusted for elevated temperature. Success rates and aDNA preservation differed between the investigated lakes Chala, Kivu and Victoria, possibly caused by differences in bottom water oxygenation. Our study demonstrates that the sediment records of tropical lakes can preserve genetic information on rapidly diversifying fish taxa over time scales of millennia.

Is creeping abandon of human cancer defences evolutionarily favoured?

Among the animal species on which observations are available, humans have a uniquely high lifetime risk to suffer from cancer - over 38%, compared to less than 10% for all observed other species (except species suffering from environmental pollution). Peto's paradox shows that this cannot simply be explained by mathematical models which view cancer genesis as a stochastic process, with resulting risks polynomial in lifespan and body mass - whales have a longer lifespan and about 30 times the human body mass, however their cancer risk remains constant throughout their life rather than increasing sharply after female reproductive age as observed in humans. Rather, it is well documented in the literature that species-specific tumour suppression mechanisms allow for large lifespan and body mass. Data which was examined on chimpanzees, being closely related to humans, make it likely that there is a major difference between chimpanzee and human cancer risk, and hence the weakness of human cancer defence is likely to have resulted from the specific development of Homo sapiens. As this weakness appears past the reproductive years, a prominent hypothesis blames it to antagonistic pleiotropy. However, Homo sapiens having lived in small tribes during most of its development, natural selection is likely to also have acted at the level of tribes, which lets us derive our hypothesis, _is creeping abandon of human cancer defences evolutionarily favoured?_ from two alternative speculative scenarios. One of them is based on that lowering tumour suppression activities might save calories and hence benefit tribes with limited food production, the other one suggests that creeping abandon of cancer defences benefits genetical diversity.

Chloroplast Genome Structure and Phylogenetic Analysis of 13 Lamiaceae Plants in Tibet.

The chloroplast (cp) genome has unique and highly conserved characteristics and is therefore widely used in species identification and classification, as well as to improve the in-depth understanding of plant evolution. In this study, the cp genomes of 13 Lamiaceae plants in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China were sequenced, assembled and annotated using bioinformatics methods. Phylogenetic trees were constructed to reveal the phylogenetic relationship of related species in the Lamiaceae. The results showed that all 13 cp genomes had a typical four-segment structure, including one large single-copy (LSC) region, one pair of inverted repeat (IR) regions and one small single-copy (SSC) region. The sequence lengths of the 13 cp genomes were between 149,081 bp and 152,312 bp, and the average GC content was 37.6%. These genomes contained 131-133 annotated genes, including 86-88 protein-coding genes, 37-38 tRNA genes, and 8 rRNA genes. A total of 542 SSR loci were detected using MISA software. The repeat types were mostly single-nucleotide repeats, accounting for 61% of simple repeats. A total of 26,328-26,887 codons were detected in 13 cp genomes. According to the RSCU value analysis, the codons mostly ended with A/T. Analysis of IR boundaries showed that the other species were relatively conserved, except for Nepeta laevigata (D. Don) Hand.-Mazz., which differed in gene type and location on both sides of the boundary. By analysing nucleotide diversity, two highly mutated regions located in the LSC and SSC regions were identified in the 13 cp genomes. Using the cp genome of Lycium ruthenicum Murray as the outgroup, 97 cp genomes of the Lamiaceae were used to construct an Maximum Likehood (ML) phylogenetic tree, in which these species were divided into eight major clades, corresponding to eight subfamilies based on morphological classification. The phylogenetic results based on monophyletic relationships were consistent with the morphological classification status at the tribe level.

A checklist of the Scarabaeoidea (Coleoptera) of Chile with exemplar live-photographed.

An updated list of the Scarabaeoidea (Coleoptera) species registered in Chile is given, which includes current names, synonyms, and photographs of live specimens of 88 species. The photographs cover 35% of the species present in the country, with all families represented except for Glaresidae and Ochodaeidae. For each species, the geographical distribution is presented from north to south by administrative regions of the country. For species shared with neighboring countries, the distribution by provinces or departments is indicated, while for those that have a worldwide distribution, the countries, or regions where they have been reported are cited. This list includes species whose presence in continental and insular Chile has been verified and confirmed by studying specimens from collections, excluding all records considered erroneous. The systematic ordering is carried out at the family, subfamily, and tribe level following the current classification of the group; genera and species are presented in alphabetical order. Paranimbus peruanus (Erichson) (Aphodiinae) is recorded for the first time in Chile based on specimens collected in the locality of Visviri (Arica and Parinacota Region). The known distribution is extended for the following species: Allidiostoma landbecki (Philippi), A. simplicifrons (Fairmaire), Archophileurus chaconus Kolbe, Brachysternus germaini (Ohaus), Chiasognathus beneshi Lacroix, Cyclocephala modesta Burmeister, Frickius costulatus Germain, Martinezostes posticus (Germar), Martinezostes ruizi Gutiérrez, Megathopa villosa Eschscholtz, Oogenius chilensis Ohaus, O. kuscheli Gutiérrez, Oryctomorphus maculicollis Guérin-Méneville, Paranimbus zoai Dellacasa, Paranomala undulata peruviana (Guérin-Méneville), Phytholaema fenestra Smith & Mondaca, Tesserodoniella meridionalis Vaz-de-Mello & Halffter, Macrodactylus farinosus Philippi, and Ulata argentina Saylor. Considering the great morphological variability and differences in the color pattern of the integument, Chiasognathus grantii holometallicus Rataj, 2012 and Chiasognathus megalodon Rataj, 2013 are considered new synonyms of Chiasognathus grantii Stephens, 1831. The study of the syntype of Copris punctatissima Curtis, 1844 confirms that this species belongs to the genus Homocopris Burmeister, 1846 and that is not conspecific with H. torulosus (Eschscholtz, 1822), therefore, the combination Homocopris punctatissimus (Curtis, 1844) new combination is established. The study of the syntype of Copris valdiviana Philippi, 1859 confirms that this species is a synonymy of Homocopris torulosus and not of H. puntatissimus. The morphological study of specimens of the genus Germarostes Paulian, 1982 and the comparison with Chilean specimens of Germarostes posticus (Germar, 1843), confirms that this last species really belongs to the genus Martinezostes Paulian, 1982, therefore, the combination Martinezostes posticus (Curtis, 1843) new combination is established. Based on the inconsistencies that exist with the current definition of the subfamily Melolonthinae, and on the results of a previous phylogenetic analysis, Lichniini is elevated to the category of subfamily, placing Lichniinae new status very close to Aclopinae. There are 79 genera, 251 species and 10 subspecies of Scarabaeoidea in Chile, belonging to the families Geotrupidae (three genera, 10 species), Glaresidae (one genus, one species), Hybosoridae (one genus, six species), Trogidae (one genus, 11 species), Lucanidae (nine genera, 31 species, nine subspecies), Ochodaeidae (one genus, one species), and Scarabaeidae (63 genera, 191 species, one subspecies). In addition, Onthophagus pilauco Tello, Verdú, Rossini, & Zunino, 2021, the first fossil scarab from Chile, is included. Approximately 58% of the listed species are endemic to the country, 39% are native to South America and 3% correspond to introduced species with a wide global distribution.

Mitogenomes of Eight Nymphalidae Butterfly Species and Reconstructed Phylogeny of Nymphalidae (Nymphalidae: Lepidoptera).

The Nymphalidae family of cosmopolitan butterflies (Lepidoptera) comprises approximately 7200 species found on all continents and in all habitats. However, debate persists regarding the phylogenetic relationships within this family. In this study, we assembled and annotated eight mitogenomes of Nymphalidae, constituting the first report of complete mitogenomes for this family. Comparative analysis of 105 mitochondrial genomes revealed that the gene compositions and orders were identical to the ancestral insect mitogenome, except for Callerebia polyphemus trnV being before trnL and Limenitis homeyeri having two trnL genes. The results regarding length variation, AT bias, and codon usage were consistent with previous reports on butterfly mitogenomes. Our analysis indicated that the subfamilies Limenitinae, Nymphalinae, Apaturinae, Satyrinae, Charaxinae, Heliconiinae, and Danainae are monophyletic, while the subfamily the subfamily Cyrestinae is polyphyletic. Danainae is the base of the phylogenetic tree. At the tribe level, Euthaliini in Limenitinae; Melitaeini and Kallimini in Nymphalinae; Pseudergolini in Cyrestinae; Mycalesini, Coenonymphini, Ypthimini, Satyrini, and Melanitini in Satyrinae; and Charaxini in Charaxinae are regarded as monophyletic groups. However, the tribe Lethini in Satyrinae is paraphyletic, while the tribes Limenitini and Neptini in Limenitinae, Nymphalini and Hypolimni in Nymphalinae, and Danaini and Euploeini in Danainae are polyphyletic. This study is the first to report the gene features and phylogenetic relationships of the Nymphalidae family based on mitogenome analysis, providing a foundation for future studies of population genetics and phylogenetic relationships within this family.

Prevalence of Concomitant Bacteria among malaria Patients attending Government Hospitals in Ondo State, South-West Nigeria

Background:Patients suffering from severe malaria have an increased risk of co-occurring bacterial sepsis, which results in higher mortality rates than malaria alone. Concomitant bacterial infections can worsen malaria symptoms, leading to increased illness and death rates. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between malaria and concomitant bacteremia among patients in Ondo State, Nigeria.Aim: The study's objective was to determine the prevalence of bacterial concomitant among malaria patients and assess the relationship between malaria and bacteremia in the study population.Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among feverish individuals in certain Ondo State government hospitals. One milliliter of blood was collected from malaria-positive patients, confirmed using microscopic examination of Giemsa-stained thick and thin blood films, and an Malaria rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) kit was cultured for bacterial enumeration. The collected data were statistically analyzed using Chi-square and correlation tests, with a 𝑃value <0.05 considered significant.Result: The study found a concomitant bacteria prevalence of 19.95% (85/426), with a significant (P= <0.001, r = 0.00334) positive correlation between malaria and bacterial concomitant.Age was significantly (p = 0.072, df= 18, χ2 = 27.389) associated with bacterial concomitant, and the mean bacterial count was 9.71±1.481 cfu/ml x 107. Furthermore, level of education, marital status and tribe also significantly (p<0.05) contributed to the prevalence of concomitant bacteria.Conclusion: Our research concludes that malaria may increase the risk of bacteremia, and a significant association between malaria and concomitant bacterial infection exists. However, the reasons for bacteria's abilityto invade and thrive in the bloodstream vary. The study's findings suggest that interventions are needed to address the high prevalence of concomitant bacterial infections among malaria patients in the study area.

The phylogeny and evolutionary ecology of hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae) inferred from mitochondrial genomes

Hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae) are a diverse group of pollinators and a major research focus in ecology, but their phylogenetic relationships remain incompletely known. Using a genome skimming approach we generated mitochondrial genomes for 91 species, capturing a wide taxonomic diversity of the family. To reduce the required amount of input DNA and overall cost of the library construction, sequencing and assembly was conducted on mixtures of specimens, which raises the problem of chimera formation of mitogenomes. We present a novel chimera detection test based on gene tree incongruence, but identified only a single mitogenome of chimeric origin. Together with existing data for a final set of 127 taxa, phylogenetic analysis on nucleotide and amino acid sequences using Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian Inference revealed a basal split of Microdontinae from all other syrphids. The remainder consists of several deep clades assigned to the subfamily Eristalinae in the current classification, including a clade comprising the subfamily Syrphinae (plus Pipizinae). These findings call for a re-definition of subfamilies, but basal nodes had insufficient support to fully justify such action. Molecular-clock dating placed the origin of the Syrphidae crown group in the mid-Cretaceous while the Eristalinae-Syrphinae clade likely originated near the K/Pg boundary. Transformation of larval life history characters on the tree suggests that Syrphidae initially had sap feeding larvae, which diversified greatly in diet and habitat association during the Eocene and Oligocene, coinciding with the diversification of angiosperms and the evolution of various insect groups used as larval host, prey, or mimicry models. Mitogenomes proved to be a powerful phylogenetic marker for studies of Syrphidae at subfamily and tribe levels, allowing dense taxon sampling that provided insight into the great ecological diversity and rapid evolution of larval life history traits of the hoverflies.

Phylogeny Study of 20 Selected Species of Zingiberaceae from Ex situ Collections in Peninsular Malaysia

Zingiberaceae is widely distributed in Malaysia, with 750 species and 31 genera. This family comprises a different number of subfamilies and genera according to different taxonomic classification methods — classical taxonomy: one subfamily and four tribes vs molecular taxonomy: four subfamilies and six tribes. However, the taxonomic classification of Zingiberaceae is still debated, especially the classical taxonomy. It is due to some Zingiberaceae species showing cryptic morphologies that make it difficult to classify them through classical taxonomy, which refers to the unique morphological characteristics of a tribe/species. Therefore, accurate taxonomic classification is required by using a molecular approach. In this study, 20 selected species of Zingiberaceae collected from the Agricultural Conservatory Park, Institute of Bioscience (IBS), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) were taxonomically classified using a molecular method with the help of three random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and three inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers until the tribe level. The combined RAPD and ISSR unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA) phylogenetic tree was comparable to Zingiberaceae’s current molecular and classical taxonomy. The 20 selected species were grouped into three tribes (Alpinieae, Zingiberaceae, and Globbeae). This finding has contributed additional biological information to better manage the 20 Zingiberaceae species in the Agricultural Conservatory Park, IBS, UPM. Further studies are needed to explore the genetic diversities and properties of Zingiberaceae species.

Systematics of Ditaxinae and Related Lineages within the Subfamily Acalyphoideae (Euphorbiaceae) Based on Molecular Phylogenetics.

The subtribe Ditaxinae in the plant family Euphorbiaceae is composed of five genera (Argythamnia, Caperonia, Chiropetalum, Ditaxis and Philyra) and approximately 120 species of perennial herbs (rarely annual) to treelets. The subtribe is distributed throughout the Americas, with the exception of Caperonia, which also occurs in tropical Africa and Madagascar. Under the current classification, Ditaxinae includes genera with a questionable morphology-based taxonomy, especially Argythamnia, Chiropetalum and Ditaxis. Moreover, phylogenetic relationships among genera are largely unexplored, with previous works sampling <10% of taxa, showing Ditaxinae as paraphyletic. In this study, we inferred the phylogenetic relationships within Ditaxinae and related taxa using a dataset of nuclear (ETS, ITS) and plastid (petD, trnLF, trnTL) DNA sequences and a wide taxon sampling (60%). We confirmed the paraphyly of Ditaxinae and Ditaxis, both with high support. Following our phylogenetic results, we combined Ditaxis in Argythamnia and upgraded Ditaxinae to the tribe level (Ditaxeae). We also established and described the tribe Caperonieae based on Caperonia, and transferred Philyra to the tribe Adelieae, along with Adelia, Garciadelia, Lasiocroton and Leucocroton. Finally, we discuss the main morphological synapomorphies for the genera and tribes and provide a taxonomic treatment, including all species recognized under each genus.

Mitochondrial phylogenomics reveals deep relationships of scarab beetles (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae).

In this study, we newly sequenced the complete mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) of two phytophagous scarab beetles, and investigated the deep level relationships within Scarabaeidae combined with other published beetle mitogenome sequences. The complete mitogenomes of Dicronocephalus adamsi Pascoe (Cetoniinae) and Amphimallon sp. (Melolonthinae) are 15,563 bp and 17,433 bp in size, respectively. Both mitogenomes have the typical set of 37 genes (13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, two ribosomal RNA genes) and an A+T-rich region, with the same gene arrangement found in the majority of beetles. The secondary structures for ribosomal RNA genes (rrnL and rrnS) were inferred by comparative analysis method. Results from phylogenetic analyses provide support for major lineages and current classification of Scarabaeidae. Amino acid data recovered Scarabaeidae as monophyletic. The Scarabaeidae was split into two clades. One clade contained the subfamilies Scarabaeinae and Aphodiinae. The other major clade contained the subfamilies Dynastinae, Rutelinae, Cetoniinae, Melolonthinae and Sericini. The monophyly of Scarabaeinae, Aphodiinae, Dynastinae, Cetoniinae and Sericini were strongly supported. The Scarabaeinae was the sister group of Aphodiinae. The Cetoniinae was sister to the Dynastinae + Rutelinae clade. The Melolonthinae was a non-monophyletic group. The removal of fast-evolving sites from nucleotide dataset using a pattern sorting method (OV-sorting) supported the family Scarabaeidae as a monophyletic group. At the tribe level, the Onthophagini was non-monophyletic with respect to Oniticellini. Ateuchini was sister to a large clade comprising the tribes Onthophagini, Oniticellini and Onitini. Eurysternini was a sister group of the Phanaeini + Ateuchini clade.

Description of Fumariphilus Nieves-Aldrey, gen. nov., a new genus of herb gall wasps, with a key to genera of the tribe Aulacideini (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae).

A new genus of herb gall wasps, Fumariphilus Nieves-Aldrey gen. nov., (Hymenoptera, Cynipidae, Aulacideini), is described. Previous molecular phylogenetic analyses, and resulting systematic changes at the tribe level, have shown that the related species Aylax hypecoi Trotter and Neaylax versicolor Nieves-Aldrey have been incorrectly placed within their respective genera. In order to reflect their monophyletic lineage and to accommodate these species within the tribe Aulacideini, it is necessary to erect a new genus. The two species, Fumariphilus versicolor (Nieves-Aldrey, 1985) n. comb. and Fumariphilus hypecoi (Trotter, 1913) n. comb. placed in the new genus induce galls in fruits of species of, respectively, Hypecoum L. (Papaveraceae: Fumarioideae: Hypecoeae) and Fumaria L. (Papaveraceae: Fumarioideae: Fumarieae), reflecting a host-plant association that is unique among all the cynipids. Diagnostic morphological features of both the adult and the larvae and an identification key to the species of the new genus are provided. Adults of Fumariphilus versicolor n. comb., are also re-described and, for both species of Fumariphilus, the terminal instar larva is described and illustrated with SEM images. Following the erection of the new genus Fumariphilus, Aylax Hartig, sensu Nieves-Aldrey, 1994 is now sufficiently delimited within the tribe Aylacini sensu stricto Ashmead, 1903, which comprises species associated with only plants of the genus Papaver (Papaveraceae). Likewise, Neaylax Nieves-Aldrey, 1994, which now includes only the gall wasp species that associate with species of Salvia (Lamiaceae), is sufficiently delimited within the tribe Aulacideini Nieves-Aldrey, Nylander Ronquist, 2015. Also provided in this work is an updated and illustrated identification key to the genera of the Aulacideini.

The first complete mitochondrial genome of Dufouriellini (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae) and implications for its phylogenetic position.

The mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) is extensively used to better understand the phylogenetic relationships within the family level, but there are still limited representations at the tribe level of Anthocoridae. Here we describe the first complete mitogenome of Dufouriellini. The mitogenome of Cardiastethus sp. is 15,209 bp in size, containing 13 typical protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNAs, 2 ribosomal RNAs, and a control region. All genes are arranged in the same gene order as the most other known cimicomorphan mitogenomes. The phylogenetic relationships based on mitogenomes using Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood methods show that Dufouriellini is sister to Anthocorini, and then both of them together form sister group with Oriini. The monophyly of each superfamily of Cimicomorpha is generally well supported. Reduvioidea is basal within Cimicomorpha. The topology of the remaining superfamily is as follows: (Miroidea + (Cimicoidea + (Velocipedoidea + Nabioidea))). This study will help to enhance our understanding of mitochondrial genomic evolution and phylogenetic relationships in the tribe level of Anthocoridae and also superfamily level of Cimicomorpha.

Complex mitogenomic rearrangements within the Pectinidae (Mollusca: Bivalvia)

BackgroundScallops (Bivalvia: Pectinidae) present extraordinary variance in both mitochondrial genome size, structure and content, even when compared to the extreme diversity documented within Mollusca and Bivalvia. In pectinids, mitogenome rearrangements involve protein coding and rRNA genes along with tRNAs, and different genome organization patterns can be observed even at the level of Tribes. Existing pectinid phylogenies fail to resolve some relationships in the family, Chlamydinae being an especially problematic group.ResultsIn our study, we sequenced, annotated and characterized the mitochondrial genome of a member of Chlamydinae, Mimachlamys varia—a species of commercial interest and an effective bioindicator—revealing yet another novel gene arrangement in the Pectinidae. The phylogeny based on all mitochondrial protein coding and rRNA genes suggests the paraphyly of the Mimachlamys genus, further commending the taxonomic revision of the classification within the Chlamydinae subfamily. At the scale of the Pectinidae, we found that 15 sequence blocks are involved in mitogenome rearrangements, which behave as separate units.ConclusionsOur study reveals incongruities between phylogenies based on mitochondrial protein-coding versus rRNA genes within the Pectinidae, suggesting that locus sampling affects phylogenetic inference at the scale of the family. We also conclude that the available taxon sampling does not allow for understanding of the mechanisms responsible for the high variability of mitogenome architecture observed in the Pectinidae, and that unraveling these processes will require denser taxon sampling.