Comparative analysis of mitogenomes among six species of grasshoppers (Orthoptera: Acridoidea: Catantopidae) and their phylogenetic implications in wing-type evolution

Describe the morphology and mitochondrial genome of Mecidea indica Dallas, 1851 (Hemiptera, Pentatomidae), with its phylogenetic position

We here describe the external morphology and complete mitochondrial genome characteristics of Mecidea indica Dallas, 1851, and clarify the evolutionary rate and divergence time. The M. indica mitochondrial genome length is 15,670 bp, and it exhibits a typical high A+T-skew (76.31%). The sequence shows strong synteny with the original gene arrangement of Drosophila yakuba Burla, 1954 without rearrangement. The M. indica mitochondrial genome characteristics were analyzed, and phylogenetic trees of Pentatomidae were reconstructed using Bayesian methods based on different datasets of the mitochondrial genome datasets. Phylogenetic analysis shows that M. indica belongs to Pentaotominae and form a sister-group with Anaxilaus musgravei Gross, 1976, and Asopinae is highly supported as monophyletic. Molecular clock analysis estimates a divergence time of Pentatomidae of 122.75 Mya (95% HPD: 98.76-145.43 Mya), within the Mesozoic Cretaceous; the divergence time of M. indica and A. musgravii was no later than 50.50 Mya (95% HPD: 37.20-64.80 Mya). In addition, the divergence time of Asopinae was 62.32 Mya (95% HPD: 47.08-78.23 Mya), which was in the Paleogene of the Cenozoic era. This study is of great significance for reconstructing the phylogeny of Pentatomidae and providing insights into its evolutionary history.

Comparative Mitochondrial Genomes between the Genera Amiota and Phortica (Diptera: Drosophilidae) with Evolutionary Insights into D-Loop Sequence Variability

To address the limited number of mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) in the subfamily Steganinae (Diptera: Drosophilidae), we assembled 12 complete mitogenomes for six representative species in the genus Amiota and six representative species in the genus Phortica. We performed a series of comparative and phylogenetic analyses for these 12 Steganinae mitogenomes, paying special attention to the commonalities and differences in the D-loop sequences. Primarily determined by the lengths of the D-loop regions, the sizes of the Amiota and Phortica mitogenomes ranged from 16,143-16,803 bp and 15,933-16,290 bp, respectively. Our results indicated that the sizes of genes and intergenic nucleotides (IGNs), codon usage and amino acid usage, compositional skewness levels, evolutionary rates of protein-coding genes (PCGs), and D-loop sequence variability all showed unambiguous genus-specific characteristics and provided novel insights into the evolutionary implications between and within Amiota and Phortica. Most of the consensus motifs were found downstream of the D-loop regions, and some of them showed distinct genus-specific patterns. In addition, the D-loop sequences were phylogenetically informative as the data sets of PCGs and/or rRNAs, especially within the genus Phortica.

The Complete Mitogenomes of Three Grasshopper Species with Special Notes on the Phylogenetic Positions of Some Related Genera

Clarifying phylogenetic position and reconstructing robust phylogeny of groups using various evidences are an eternal theme for taxonomy and systematics. In this study, the complete mitogenomes of Longzhouacris mirabilis, Ranacris albicornis, and Conophyma zhaosuensis were sequenced using next-generation sequencing (NGS), and the characteristics of the mitogenomes are presented briefly. The mitogenomes of the three species are all circular molecules with total lengths of 16,164 bp, 15,720 bp, and 16,190 bp, respectively. The gene structures and orders, as well as the characteristics of the mitogenomes, are similar to those of other published mitogenomes in Caelifera. The phylogeny of the main subfamilies of Acrididae with prosternal process was reconstructed using a selected dataset of mitogenome sequences under maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian inference (BI) frameworks. The results showed that the genus Emeiacris consistently fell into the subfamily Melanoplinae rather than Oxyinae, and the genus Choroedocus had the closest relationship with Shirackiacris of the subfamily Eyprepocnemidinae in both phylogenetic trees deduced from mitogenome protein coding genes (PCGs). This finding is entirely consistent with the morphological characters, which indicate that Emeiacris belongs to Melanoplinae and Choroedocus belongs to Eyprepocnemidinae. In addition, the genera Conophymacris and Xiangelilacris, as well as Ranacris and Menglacris, are two pairs of the closest relatives, but their phylogenetic positions need further study to clarify.

Comparative mitogenomics and phylogenetic analyses of the genus Menida (Hemiptera, Heteroptera, Pentatomidae)

In order to explore the genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationship of the genus Menida Motschulsky, 1861 and reveal the molecular evolution of the family Pentatomidae, subfamily Pentatominae, complete mitochondrial genomes of three species of Menida were sequenced, and the phylogenetic relationships of tribes within the subfamily Pentatominae were studied based on these results. The mitochondrial genomes of Menidamusiva (Jakovlev, 1876), M.lata Yang, 1934, and M.metallica Hsiao & Cheng, 1977 were 16,663 bp, 16,463 bp, and 16,418 bp, respectively, encoding 37 genes and including 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), two rRNA genes, 22 tRNA genes, and a control region. The mitochondrial genome characteristics of Menida were compared and analyzed, and the phylogenetic tree of the Pentatominae was constructed based on the mitochondrial genome datasets using Bayesian inference (BI) and maximum likelihood (MI) methods. The results showed that gene arrangements, nucleotide composition, codon preference, gene overlaps, and RNA secondary structures were highly conserved within the Menida and had more similar characteristics in Pentatominae. The phylogenetic analysis shows a highly consistent topological structure based on BI and ML methods, which supported that the genus Menida belongs to the Pentatominae and is closely related to Hoplistoderini. The examined East Asian species of Menida form a monophyletic group with the internal relationships: (M.musiva + (M.lata + (M.violacea + M.metallica))). In addition, these results support the monophyly of Eysarcorini and Strachiini. Placosternum and Cappaeini are stable sister groups in the evolutionary branch of Pentatominae. The results of this study enrich the mitochondrial genome databases of Pentatominae and have significance for further elucidation of the phylogenetic relationships within the Pentatominae.

Description and complete mitochondrial genome of Atkinsoniella zizhongi sp. nov. (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Cicadellinae) from China and its phylogenetic implications

A new species, Atkinsoniella zizhongi sp. nov. of the subfamily Cicadellinae, was described and illustrated from China. The new species is similar to A. nigrominiatula (Jacobi, 1944), A. limba Kuoh, 1991, A. dormana Li, 1992, A. peaka Yang, Meng et Li, 2017, and A. divaricata Yang, Meng et Li, 2017. But the characteristics of aedeagus and pygofer process can be used to distinguish them easily. The complete mitochondrial genome of the paratype was sequenced and assembled. The mitogenome of A. zizhongi sp. nov. was 16,483 bp in length, with an A+T content of 75.9%, containing 37 typical genes and a control region (CR). The gene order was consistent with the inferred insect ancestral mitochondrial genome. All of the PCGs were determined to have the typical stop codon TAA or TAG, while COX2 and ND5 ended with incomplete termination codons T and TA, respectively. In addition, phylogenetic trees were reconstructed based on PCGs and rRNAs using both the maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian inference (BI) methods. The results showed that the intergeneric and interspecific relationships within the subfamily Cicadellinae were completely consistent in all of the phylogenetic trees, except that the different interspecific relationships within the genus Bothrogonia were detected in the ML analysis based on the amino acid sequences. This study enriches the species diversity of Cicadellinae and further promotes research on its phylogeny.

The specific DNA barcodes based on chloroplast genes for species identification of Theaceae plants

More than 600 species in over 40 genera have been identified in family Theaceae worldwide. The accurate identification of Theaceae plants can ensure the market economic order, and it plays a vital role in achieving the sustainable utilization of germplasm resources. DNA barcoding, one of the most potential species identification technologies at present, has advanced in the rapid, accurate and repetitive discrimination of species. In this study, matK + ndhF + ycf1 was observed as the optimal combined candidate gene sequence of DNA barcodes by analyzing genetic information of four single chloroplast DNA sequences, including matK, rbcL, ndhF and ycf1, as well as six combined gene sequences. Subsequently, the experiments were performed on phylogenetic analysis based on genetic distance to study the phylogenetic relationship of Theaceae plants and evaluate the species identification accuracy of matK + ndhF + ycf1. Lastly, the species-specific DNA barcodes were designed by searching the variable sites (one type of single nucleotide polymorphism sites) for the accurate identification of Camellia amplexicaulis, Franklinia alatamaha, Gordonia brandegeei and Stewartia micrantha. The previous methods of screening and testing candidate gene sequences were optimized, and innovation was made in the above methods. The process of making visual DNA barcodes was standardized. Besides, DNA barcoding technology increased the accuracy of species identification and DNA barcoding was analyzed in accordance with the theories of population genetics (e.g., neutral theory of molecular evolution). The results of the study will lay a basis for the identification and protection of Theaceae species and germplasm resources.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12298-022-01175-7.

Different gene rearrangements of the genus Dardanus (Anomura: Diogenidae) and insights into the phylogeny of Paguroidea

Complete mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) can provide useful information for phylogenetic relationships, gene rearrangement, and molecular evolution. In this study, the complete mitogenomes of two hermit crabs, Dardanus arrosor and Dardanus aspersus, were sequenced for the first time and compared with other published mitogenomes of Paguroidea. Each of the two mitogenomes contains an entire set of 37 genes and a putative control region, but they display different gene arrangements. The different arrangements of the two mitogenomes might be the result of transposition, reversal, and tandem duplication/random loss events from the ancestral pancrustacean pattern. Genome sequence similarity analysis reveals the gene rearrangement in 15 Paguroidea mitogenomes. After synteny analysis between the 15 Paguroidea mitogenomes, an obvious rearranged region is found in D. aspersus mitogenome. Across the 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs) tested, COI has the least and ND6 has the largest genetic distances among the 15 hermit crabs, indicating varied evolution rates of PCGs. In addition, the dN/dS ratio analysis shows that all PCGs are evolving under purifying selection. The phylogenetic analyses based on both gene order and sequence data present the monophyly of three families (Paguridae, Coenobitidae, and Pylochelidae) and the paraphyly of the family Diogenidae. Meanwhile, the phylogenetic tree based on the nucleotide sequences of 13 PCGs shows that two Dardanus species formed a sister group with five Coenobitidae species. These findings help to better understand the gene rearrangement and phylogeny of Paguroidea, as well as provide new insights into the usefulness of mitochondrial gene order as a phylogenetic marker.

Comparative Analysis of Eight Mitogenomes of Bark Beetles and Their Phylogenetic Implications

Simple Summary

Many bark beetles are destructive pests in coniferous forests and cause extensive ecological and economic losses worldwide. Comparative studies of the structural characteristics of mitogenomes and phylogenetic relationships of bark beetles can improve our understanding of mitogenome evolution. In this study, we sequenced eight mitogenomes of bark beetles. Our results show that the use of start and stop codons, the abundance of amino acids, and the relative frequency of codon use are conserved among the eight bark beetles. Different regions of tRNA exhibit different degrees of conservatism. Together with the analysis of evolutionary rates and genetic distance among bark beetle species, our results reveal phylogenetic relationships among bark beetles of the subfamily Scolytinae.

Abstract

Many bark beetles of the subfamily Scolytinae are the most economically important insect pests of coniferous forests worldwide. In this study, we sequenced the mitochondrial genomes of eight bark beetle species, including Dendroctonus micans, Orthotomicus erosus, Polygraphus poligraphus, Dryocoetes hectographus, Ips nitidus, Ips typographus, Ips subelongatus, and Ips hauseri, to examine their structural characteristics and determine their phylogenetic relationships. We also used previously published mitochondrial genome sequence data from other Scolytinae species to identify and localize the eight species studied within the bark beetle phylogeny. Their gene arrangement matched the presumed ancestral pattern of these bark beetles. Start and stop codon usage, amino acid abundance, and the relative codon usage frequencies were conserved among bark beetles. Genetic distances between species ranged from 0.037 to 0.418, and evolutionary rates of protein-coding genes ranged from 0.07 for COI to 0.69 for ND2. Our results shed light on the phylogenetic relationships and taxonomic status of several bark beetles in the subfamily Scolytinae and highlight the need for further sequencing analyses and taxonomic revisions in additional bark beetle species.

Phylogenetic Position of the Genus Alulacris (Orthoptera: Acrididae: Melanoplinae: Podismini) Revealed by Complete Mitogenome Evidence

Whole mitogenomes are a useful data source for a wide variety of research goals due to the vastly cheaper sequencing cost and the far less demanding high-quality templates. The mitogenome has demonstrated great potential in resolving phylogenetic questions in Orthoptera at different taxonomic scales as well as exploring patterns of molecular and morphological character evolutions. In this study, the complete mitogenome of Alulacrisshilinensis (Zheng, 1977) was sequenced using next-generation sequencing, the characteristics of the mitogenome are presented briefly, and the phylogeny of the Melanoplinae and Catantopinae was reconstructed using a selected dataset of mitogenome sequences under maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference frameworks. The results show that the genus was consistently assigned to the subfamily Melanoplinae rather than Catantopinae in all phylogenetic trees deduced from different datasets under different frameworks, and this finding is entirely consistent with its morphological characters. Therefore, it is more appropriate to place the genus Alulacris in Melanoplinae rather than in Catantopinae.

Comparative Analysis of Mitogenomes among Five Species of Filchnerella (Orthoptera: Acridoidea: Pamphagidae) and Their Phylogenetic and Taxonomic Implications

Mitogenomes have been widely used for exploring phylogenetic analysis and taxonomic diagnosis. In this study, the complete mitogenomes of five species of Filchnerella were sequenced, annotated and analyzed. Then, combined with other seven mitogenomes of Filchnerella and four of Pamphagidae, the phylogenetic relationships were reconstructed by maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian (BI) methods based on PCGs+rRNAs. The sizes of the five complete mitogenomes are Filchnerella sunanensis 15,656 bp, Filchnerella amplivertica 15,657 bp, Filchnerella nigritibia 15,661 bp, Filchnerella pamphagoides 15,661 bp and Filchnerella dingxiensis 15,666 bp. The nucleotide composition of mitogenomes is biased toward A+T. All tRNAs could be folded into the typical clover-leaf structure, except that tRNA Ser (AGN) lacked a dihydrouridine (DHU) arm. The phylogenetic relationships of Filchnerella species based on mitogenome data revealed a general pattern of wing evolution from long wing to increasingly shortened wing.

Mitogenome and phylogenetic analysis of typhlocybine leafhoppers (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae)

Mitogenomes have been widely used to estimate phylogenetic relationships among insects and provide data useful for augmenting traditional morphological characters in delimiting species. Here, complete mitogenome sequences of two closely related typhlocybine leafhoppers, Cassianeuracassiae (Ahmed, 1970) and C. bimaculata Dworakowska, 1984, were obtained and found to be 15,423 bp and 14,597 bp in length, respectively. The gene order was found to be similar to other published leafhopper mitogenomes, but the control region of C.bimaculata is the shortest among known leafhoppers and lacks tandem repeats. Phylogenetic analysis of 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), the first and second codons of 13 PCGs, 13 PCGs and two rRNAs formed three well-supported tree topologies. The topologies of phylogenetic trees inferred from three datasets were almost identical, which was consistent with previous molecular phylogenies of this group. Comparative morphological study of the ovipositors revealed several characters potentially useful for diagnosing genera and resolving their phylogenetic relationships. Phylogenetic analysis of these and other morphological characters yielded a tree that is mostly consistent with the tree obtained from analysis of mitogenome sequences. In both molecular and morphological phylogenenies, Typhlocybini and Zyginellini clustered into one clade, but neither was recovered as monophyletic.