Systematic Entomology最新文献

The macropsine leafhoppers are a morphologically unique group of arboreal leafhoppers. However, the taxonomic status of this group has been controversial, and their evolutionary history is poorly understood. In this study, we present the first phylogenomic analyses of this group using both concatenation and coalescent methods, based on 267–1100 universal single-copy orthologues (USCOs) from 30 species, representing 14 of the 19 extant genera and subgenera. Phylogenomic analyses employing different analytical strategies yielded topologies in which many relationships were congruent but some were unstable across analyses. Our results do not group Macropsini with other included representatives of Eurymelinae, and suggest that the previously recognized genera Macropsis Lewis, Pedionis Hamilton, Pediopsis Burmeister and Pediopsoides Matsumura are not monophyletic. Based on these findings, we propose the following taxonomic revisions: Macropsidius Ribaut syn. n. is synonymized with Macropsis Lewis; the subgenus Pediopsis (Thyia) Kirkaldy is elevated to genus rank as Thyia stat. nov. Fossil-calibrated divergence-time analyses based on the optimal topology indicate that the crown group of Macropsini originated approximately 112.59 million years ago in the Lower Cretaceous. Most extant genera appeared from the Upper Cretaceous to the early Miocene. Our study provides novel insights into the phylogenetic framework of Macropsini, offering a foundation for future research on the systematics and evolution of this significant arboreal leafhopper lineage.

Many insect groups have acquired obligate microbial symbionts, and the resulting associations can have important ecological and evolutionary consequences. A notable example among ants is the species-rich tribe Camponotini, whose members derive nutritional benefits from a vertically inherited bacterial endosymbiont, Blochmannia. We generate ultraconserved element (UCE) phylogenomic data for 220 ingroup and 5 outgroup taxa to reconstruct a detailed evolutionary history of the Camponotini, including the inference of divergence times and dispersal events. Under multiple modes of analysis, including both concatenation and species-tree approaches, we recover a well-supported backbone phylogeny comprising eight lineages: three large genera (Camponotus, Colobopsis, Polyrhachis) and several smaller genera or clusters of genera. Three novel lineages are uncovered that cannot be placed in any existing genus: Lathidris gen. n., from the mountains of Mesoamerica; Retalimyrma gen. n., from the Indian Himalayas; and Uwari gen. n., from eastern Asia. The species in these new genera were described and placed erroneously in Camponotus. The tribe Camponotini is estimated to have a crown origin in the Eocene (median age 38.4 Ma), with successively younger crown ages for Colobopsis (22.5 Ma), Camponotus (18.6 Ma) and Polyrhachis (18.5 Ma). We infer an Australasian or Indomalayan origin for the tribe, with multiple dispersal events to the Afrotropics, Palearctic region, and New World. Phylogenetic analysis of selected Blochmannia genes from a subset of 97 camponotine taxa yields results that are largely congruent with the ant host phylogeny, at least for well-supported nodes, but we find evidence that Blochmannia from some old lineages—especially Lathidris—may have discordant histories, suggesting possible lability of this symbiosis in the early evolution of camponotine ants.

Reconstructing the tree of life is facing challenges in inferring accurate and robust phylogeny based on large data in the genomic era. Currently, universal single-copy orthologs (USCOs), ultraconserved elements (UCEs) and mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) are widely used to reconstruct phylogeny. In this study, the higher-level phylogeny of lacewings and allied orders (Neuropterida) is reconstructed based on USCOs, UCEs and mitogenomes assembled from 42 newly sequenced low-coverage genomes (above 32.80X), representing all orders and all families except Rhachiberothidae, under various types of data filtering, model selection and strategies of tree reconstruction. Using relatively conservative criteria, we demonstrate that the topology based on amino acid matrices of the USCOs filtered by multifactorial strategies under the site heterogeneity model (LG + PMSF (C20)) is the most robust. The average bootstrap support (ABS) values, an important criterion in gene filtering, exhibit large variation among different repetitions. Applying fossil calibrations at deeper nodes close to the root of the phylogeny is demonstrated to facilitate more accurate estimation of evolutionary timescales by comparing three different calibration schemes (deeper nodes, shallower nodes and a combination of both). These results highlight the complexity of genomic data and offer an integrative solution to overcome systematic error in phylogenomic inference.

Blattidae Latreille is widely distributed worldwide and includes a variety of sanitary pests, such as Periplaneta americana (Linnaeus), Periplaneta australasiae (Fabricius) and Periplaneta fuliginosa (Serville). The subfamily composition of Blattidae has undergone significant changes in recent years, and a few long-standing controversies have been resolved. However, the paraphyly of Blattinae Latreille and the polyphyly of Periplaneta Burmeister within the subfamily remain unresolved. We addressed these issues through phylogenetic analyses of the Blattinae based on mitochondrial genomes and nuclear genes (18S and 28S), and morphological analyses of eleven male genital characters. Our study showed that Dorylaea Stål and Nazgultaure Lucanãs are sister taxa and distantly related to Blattinae. Periplaneta s.l. was found to be widely polyphyletic across five or six separate clades, while Mimosilpha Bey-Bienko was embedded within Homalosilpha Stål. Integrating ancestral character state reconstruction (ASR) analyses, morphological character comparisons and our phylogenetic results, we propose five new genera (Unihamus Luo & Wang, gen. nov.; Validiblatta Luo & Wang, gen. nov.; Arcicaulis Luo & Wang, gen. nov.; Tenumembrana Luo & Wang, gen. nov.; Crescispina Luo & Wang, gen. nov.) to revise Periplaneta s.l. We describe two new species (Hobbitoblatta semialata Luo & Wang, sp. nov. and Crescispina qiaoi Luo & Wang, sp. nov.). We treat Mimosilpha as the junior synonym of Homalosilpha. The ASR analyses reveal the evolutionary status of genital characteristics in Blattinae s.s. and suggest that the morphology of sclerites L4C, R1H and R1G can be used as diagnostic characters for genera or subfamilies.

Beetle superfamilies Histeroidea and Hydrophiloidea form a well-supported monophylum with c. 9000 described species, but the relationships among the families remain unresolved, hindering the studies of the early evolution of the group. This study presents the first genomic data for all modern families, including the first genomes for Synteliidae, Sphaeritidae, Georissidae and Epimetopidae. Using datasets of 4215, 1100 and 709 protein-coding genes, we reconstructed the relationships among the families, reconfirmed the Early Triassic split of Hydrophiloidea and Histeroidea, and revealed the Early to Middle Jurassic origin of modern families. All datasets and analytical methods revealed the same topology for Hydrophiloidea. The superfamily consists of two main clades: the helophorid lineage (Georissidae + Helophoridae + Hydrochidae) and the hydrophilid lineage (Epimetopidae + Spercheidae + Hydrophilidae), with Helophoridae + Hydrochidae and Spercheidae + Hydrophilidae as strongly supported clades; the riparian Georissidae and Epimetopidae form early branching clades in each lineage. In Histeroidea, we detected a significant conflict in phylogenetic signal, indicating a more complex and dynamic molecular evolution than in Hydrophiloidea: our analyses reject Synteliidae as sister to Histeridae but are not decisive on whether Synteliidae are sister to Sphaeritidae or to all other Histeroidea. The reconstruction of habitat preferences indicated that ancestral Hydrophiloidea inhabited moist substrates at the sides of lakes or rivers but were not aquatic. Aquatic habitats were colonized twice independently: once by Helophoridae + Hydrochidae and once by an ancestor of Spercheidae + Hydrophilidae. We discuss the evidence for and against this novel Riparian Ancestor Hypothesis in detail.

Cucujiformia forms a substantial part of beetle diversity; however, relationships within this group remain unsettled. We used large-scale phylogenomic data to investigate early splits of the Tenebrionoid clade, focusing on the phylogenetic positions of Lymexylidae and Ripiphoridae. In concert with previous phylogenetic studies, we recovered Lymexyloidea as sister to Tenebrionoidea, and the clade Ripiphoridae + Mordellidae as sister to the remaining Tenebrionoidea. Based on their morphology and deep divergence, we designate the ‘mordelloid clade’ for Ripiphoridae and Mordellidae. Lymexyloidea contained two major clades: Lymexylidae, with subfamilies Lymexylinae and Atractocerinae, and Hylecoetidae sensu novo, with Hylecoetinae and Melittommatinae. Contrary to previous molecular studies, we found Ripiphoridae to be monophyletic, with Ptilophorinae or Ripidiinae as sister to all remaining clades. Additionally, we studied the morphology and phylogeny of fossil tenebrionoids, establishing the following new families: †Wuhuidae fam. nov., †Bellimordellidae fam. nov., and †Mirimordellidae fam. nov. Furthermore, †Praemordellidae stat. nov. (originally a subfamily of Mordellidae) were elevated to family rank, and †Yakutiinae subfam. nov. were proposed as a subfamily of Mordellidae. †Angimordella Bao et al. was transferred from Mordellinae to †Apotomourinae, and †Primaevomordellida Bao et al. from Reynoldsiellini to Mordellini. The newly proposed classification is summarized and discussed, with family-level identification keys provided for Lymexyloidea and the taxa in the ‘mordelloid clade’. New nomenclatural changes include the synonymies of Mordella bimaculata Fabricius syn. nov. with Mordella tricuspidata Goeze (now in Macrosiagon Hentz) and Trigonodera Dejean syn. nov. with Pelecotoides Laporte, and the earlier authorship of Ctenidia Laporte (1833, not 1840).

We present the first global molecular phylogenetic hypothesis for the family Eurytomidae, a group of chalcidoid wasps with diverse biology, with a representative sampling (197 ingroups and 11 outgroups) that covers all described subfamilies and 70% of the known genera. Analyses of 962 Ultraconserved Elements (UCEs) with concatenation (IQ-TREE) and multispecies coalescent approaches (ASTRAL) resulted in highly supported topologies in recovering the monophyly of Eurytomidae and its four subfamilies. The taxonomy of Eurytomidae, and in particular the large subfamily Eurytominae, needs major revisions as most large genera are recovered as para- or polyphyletic, and the erection of multiple new genera is required in the future to accommodate these taxa. Here, we synonymize the genera Cathilaria (C. certa, C. globiventris, C. opuntiae and C. rigidae) and the monotypic Aiolomorphus rhopaloides within Tetramesa syn. nov., Parabruchophagus (P. kazakhstanicus, P. nikolskaji, P. rasnitsyni, P. saxatilis and P. tauricus) and Exeurytoma (E. anatolica, E. caraganae and E. kebanensis) within Bruchophagus syn. nov. We also provide 137 DNA barcode COI fragments extracted from the UCE contigs to aid in future identifications of Eurytomidae using this popular genetic marker. Eurytomidae most likely originated in South America with an estimated crown age of 83.37 Ma. Ancestral state reconstruction indicates that secondary phytophagy has evolved at least seven times within the subfamily Eurytominae, showcasing the evolutionary flexibility of these vastly understudied wasps.

Based on a phylogenomic analysis, we here update the higher classification of the rove beetle subfamily Staphylininae, an insect mega-lineage comprising over 9000 described species. All established or newly proposed higher taxa are statistically robust and biogeographically plausible monophyla identified by morphological characters, many of which are putative synapomorphies. Novel molecular and morphological evidence corroborate the previously challenged broad concept of Staphylininae, and the newly proposed division of Staphylinini into the tribes Staphylinini stat. rev. and Tanygnathinini stat. rev. Our fossil-calibrated dating of the phylogeny revealed consistent temporal congruence between major cladogenetic events and plate tectonics throughout the Mesozoic and Cenozoic eras; for example, the divergence of Tanygnathinini stat. rev. from Staphylinini stat. rev. is contemporaneous with the break-up of Pangea, and the first divergence within Tanygnathinini stat. rev. coincides with the separation of South America and Africa. Similarly manifold evidence, including the evaluated performance of the alternative statistical phylogenetic models, supports all proposed new subtribes: Ctenandropina subtrib. nov. and Nitidocolpina subtrib. nov. within Tanygnathinini; Descarpentriesiellina subtrib. nov. and Valdiviodina subtrib. nov. within Staphylinini. Keys, diagnoses and descriptions are provided for all involved higher taxa in the extensive taxonomic part.

Rhus gall aphids (Hemiptera: Aphididae: Eriosomatinae: Fordini) are obligate parasites that only use Rhus species (Anacardiaceae) as their primary host plants, and each aphid species feeds specifically on one or two sister Rhus species. Both aphids and Rhus hosts exhibit the same disjunct distribution pattern between East Asia and eastern North America. We assembled complete mitochondrial genomes and universal single-copy nuclear genes for Rhus gall aphids using a genome skimming method and estimated their phylogeny from each dataset. Results strongly supported the monophyly of the Rhus gall aphids Fordini and two genera, Floraphis and Melaphis. However, the relationships among genera were inconsistent between the different datasets. We also estimated the relationships of Rhus host plants from published chloroplast genomes. The chloroplast phylogeny strongly supported Rhus monophyly and relationships among Rhus species. Dating analyses suggest that the most recent common ancestor of Rhus gall aphids was much older than that of their host plants. However, the divergence times and relationships among some Rhus gall aphid species, particularly those with more recent divergence times, were consistent with the ages and relationships of their corresponding primary host plants. This may suggest that Rhus gall aphids established an initial association with stem-group ancestors of Anacardiaceae and acquired extant Rhus hosts as they evolved or through host switching from another plant group. Divergence time estimates implied that the separation of North America and Eurasia from the Laurasia supercontinent and the subsequent disappearance of the Bering Land Bridge, respectively, have played an important role in the divergence of the eastern North American Melaphis and the East Asian lineage. Our results provide new insights into the coevolution of insects and host plants.

The repeated and convergent evolution of opaque wings and other unique characteristics makes defining the tribes of Cicadidae challenging. Cicadas of Gaeanini, almost endemic to Asia and known as ‘butterfly cicadas’ but more resembling moths, exhibit striking phenotypes with opaque wings and vivid colours. This study presents the first comprehensive phylogeny of Gaeanini based on molecular data of cicadas and genomic data from their obligate endosymbiont Candidatus Karelsulcia muelleri (hereafter Karelsulcia). Phylogenetic results do not support the monophyly of Gaeanini, with Becquartinina place. nov. nesting within Leptopsaltriini. Consequently, Becquartinina place. nov. is transferred from Gaeanini to Leptopsaltriini, and Gaeanini is redefined with the establishment of three new subtribes: Vittagaeanina subtr. nov., Callogaeanina subtr. nov., and Taonina subtr. nov. Additionally, several species are synonymized, and Balinta nigera sp. nov. is erected. The phylogeny of Karelsulcia generally mirrors the host phylogeny, supporting the redefinition of Gaeanini. Gaeanini likely originated in South China and northeastern Indochina during the Early Miocene and diversified in the Early to Mid-Miocene. Miocene climatic changes, the rise of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, and the formation of Hainan Island, together with the repeated emergence of Qiongzhou Strait, played significant roles in the diversification of Gaeanini. The colourful wing patterns in Gaeanini may serve as automimicry with moths or other related insects, protecting them against predators. This study improves our understanding of the diversification, vicariance, and evolution of this unique cicada tribe and serves as an example for future studies on other taxa of Cicadidae with opaque wings.