Comparative mitogenome
research revealed the phylogenetics and evolution of the superfamily
Tenebrionoidea (Coleoptera: Polyphage)
Yun-Jian Hu, Li Hu, Chuan Wu, Tian Tian, Ting-Jing Li and Bin Chen*
Running title: mtgenome and phylogeny of Tenebrionoidea
Chongqing Key Laboratory of Vector Insects; Institute of Entomology and
Molecular Biology, College of Life Sciences, Chongqing Normal
University, Chongqing 401331, China
*Correspondence: bin.chen@cqnu.edu.cn (BC)
Abstract . Despite the worldwide distribution and rich diversity
of the superfamily Tenebrionoidea, the knowledge of the mitochondrial
genomes (mtgenome) characteristics of the superfamily is still very
limited and its phylogenetics and evolution remains unresolved. In
present study, nineteen species of mtgenomes in Tenebrionoidea are newly
sequenced and annotated, and a total of 90 mtgenomes are analyzed. There
exist 37 genes for all 82 species of complete mtgenomes of 16 families
investigated, and their characteristics are identical as reported
mtgenomes of other Tenebrionoids. The Ka/Ks analysis suggests that all
13 PCGs have undergone a strong purifying selection. The phylogenetic
analysis suggests the monophyly of Mordellidae, Ripiphoridae, Meloidae,
Anthicidae, Oedemeridae, Pyrochroidae, Salpingidae, Scraptiidae,
Lagriidae and Tenebrionidae, and the Mordellidae is sister to the
Ripiphoridae. The “Tenebrionidae clade” and “Meloidae clade” are
monophyletic, and both of them are sister groups. In the “Meloidae
clade”, Anthicidae is sister to Meloidae. In the “Tenebrionidae
clade”, the family Lagriidae and Tenebrionidae are sister groups. The
divergence time analysis suggests that Tenebrionoidea originated in
early Jurassic, Mordellidae, Meloidae and Oedemeridae in Cretaceous,
Anthicidae, Lagriidae and Tenebrionidae in the early Cretaceous. The
work lays a base for the study of mtgenome, phylogenetics and evolution
of the superfamily Tenebrionoidea.
Keywords: Coleoptera, Tenebrionoidea, mtgenome, phylogenetics,
evolution