The phylogenetic relationships among major lineages of the planthopper family Issidae were explored by analyzing a molecular dataset of nine fragments (COI, CytB, 12S, H3, 16S, 18SII, 18SIII, 28S D3–D5, 28S D6–D7) and 48 terminal taxa. Bayesian and Maximum likelihood analyses yielded similar and mostly well-resolved trees with moderate to high support for most branches. The obtained results suggest subdivision of the family Issidae Spinola into two subfamilies, Issinae Spinola, 1839 (= Thioniinae Melichar, 1906, = Hemisphaeriinae Melichar, 1906) and Hysteropterinae Melichar, 1906. The Issinae was clustered into the tribes Issini Spinola, 1839, with the subtribes Issina Spinola, 1839 and Thioniina Melichar, 1906, Sarimini Wang, Zhang et Bourgoin, 2016, Parahiraciini Cheng et Yang, 1991, Hemisphaeriini Melichar, 1906, and Kodaianellini Wang, Zhang et Bourgoin, 2016. The Hysteropterinae incorporates the rest of Western Palaearctic taxa except Issina. Chimetopini Gnezdilov, 2017, stat. nov. is elevated to tribe from the subtribal level. Most well-supported clades showed clear geographical pattering. Newly obtained data contradicts the scenario of an early split of American Thioniinae from other Issidae and possible origin of the family in the New World, while the combination of Palaearctic Issus Fabricius and Latissus Dlabola with Oriental and American taxa in one well supported clade may serve as an evidence for a common ancestor for extant Oriental, American, and Palaearctic issids.

Arvicolinae is one of the most impressive placental radiations with over 150 extant and numerous extinct species that emerged since the Miocene in the Northern Hemisphere. The phylogeny of Arvicolinae has been studied intensively for several decades using morphological and genetic methods. Here, we sequenced 30 new mitochondrial genomes to better understand the evolutionary relationships among the major tribes and genera within the subfamily. The phylogenetic and molecular dating analyses based on 11,391 bp concatenated alignment of protein-coding mitochondrial genes confirmed the monophyly of the subfamily. While Bayesian analysis provided a high resolution across the entire tree, Maximum Likelihood tree reconstruction showed weak support for the ordering of divergence and interrelationships of tribal level taxa within the most ancient radiation. Both the interrelationships among tribes Lagurini, Ellobiusini and Arvicolini, comprising the largest radiation and the position of the genus Dinaromys within it also remained unresolved. For the first time complex relationships between genus level taxa within the species-rich tribe Arvicolini received full resolution. Particularly Lemmiscus was robustly placed as sister to the snow voles Chionomys in the tribe Arvicolini in contrast with a long-held belief of its affinity with Lagurini. Molecular dating of the origin of Arvicolinae and early divergences obtained from the mitogenome data were consistent with fossil records. The mtDNA estimates for putative ancestors of the most genera within Arvicolini appeared to be much older than it was previously proposed in paleontological studies.

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In this study, we present an assessment of the evolutionary history and phylogenetic relationships of Asian mountain voles of the subgenus Aschizomys, genus Alticola, based on extensive sampling and phylogenetic analyses of data from mitochondrial and nuclear markers. Two species of this subgenus are widespread in the mountain areas of north-eastern Asia. However, both their distribution and taxonomic borders remained questionable for more than 100 years. Our study showed discordance in the phylogenetic patterns between nuclear and mtDNA markers. We found that mtDNA in A. lemminus is paraphyletic relative to A. macrotis, but nuclear markers demonstrated reciprocal monophyly. According to species distribution modeling, ranges of A. macrotis and A. lemminus experienced a secondary contact during the Last Glacial Maximum (approximately 22 kyr BP), and thus a hybridization event seems plausible during that period. Species tree analyses recovered a sister group relationship between the two species of the Aschizomys subgenus, with an estimated divergence date of around 0.8 Ma. Our results provided good support for currently recognized subspecies within both A. macrotis and A. lemminus based on mitochondrial and nuclear datasets. A new, yet undescribed form, supposedly of a subspecific status within A. lemminus, was found in the Bureinskiy Range in the Khabarovsk area. This finding expands the current species distribution range further to the southeast.

In this article, we present the nearly complete mitochondrial genome of the Subalpine Kashmir vole Hyperacrius fertilis (Arvicolinae, Cricetidae, Rodentia), assembled using data from Illumina next-generation sequencing (NGS) of the DNA from a century-old museum specimen. De novo assembly consisted of 16,341 bp and included all mitogenome protein-coding genes as well as 12S and 16S RNAs, tRNAs and D-loop. Using the alignment of protein-coding genes of 14 previously published Arvicolini tribe mitogenomes, seven Clethrionomyini mitogenomes, and also Ondatra and Dicrostonyx outgroups, we conducted phylogenetic reconstructions based on a dataset of 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs) under maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference. Phylogenetic analyses robustly supported the phylogenetic position of this species within the tribe Arvicolini. Among the Arvicolini, Hyperacrius represents one of the early-diverged lineages. This result of phylogenetic analysis altered the conventional view on phylogenetic relatedness between Hyperacrius and Alticola and prompted the revision of morphological characters underlying the former assumption. Morphological analysis performed here confirmed molecular data and provided additional evidence for taxonomic replacement of the genus Hyperacrius from the tribe Clethrionomyini to the tribe Arvicolini.

The subterranean voles of the genus Ellobius are species of subfamily Arvicolinae well adapted to underground life. In this paper, we report the assemblies of complete mitochondrial genomes for three mole voles from genus Ellobiusnorthern mole vole Ellobius talpinus (16,376 bp), transcaucasian mole vole E. lutescens (16,540 bp), and southern mole vole E. fuscocapillus (16,388 bp). Each of three mitogenomes encode for 12S and 16S rRNAs, 22 tRNAs, 13 protein-coding genes, and D-loop in the characteristic arrangement of subfamily Arvicolinae (Rodentia: Cricetidae). This study verifies the evolutionary status of subgenera Bramus and Ellobius within the genus Ellobius at the molecular level. The mitochondrial genome would be a significant supplement for the Ellobius genetic background. The three Ellobius species formed a monophyletic group with the high bootstrap value (100%) in all examinations.

This study evaluates signatures of selection in the evolution of the mitochondrial DNA of voles, subfamily Arvicolinae, during the colonization of subterranean environments. The comparative sequence analysis of mitochondrial protein-coding genes of eight subterranean vole species (Prometheomys schaposchnikowi, three species of the genus Ellobius: Ellobius talpinus, Ellobius fuscocapillus and Ellobius lutescens, two species of the genus Terricola: Terricola subterraneus and Terricola daghestanicus, Lasiopodomys mandarinus, and Hyperacrius fertilis) and their closest aboveground relatives was applied using codon-substitution models. The highest number of selection signatures was detected in genes ATP8 and CYTB. The relaxation of selection was observed in most mitochondrial DNA protein-coding genes for subterranean species. The largest amount of relaxed genes is discovered in mole voles (genus Ellobius). The number of selection signatures was found to be independent of the evolutionary age of the lineage but fits the degree of specialization to the subterranean niche. The common trends of selective pressures were observed among the evolutionary ancient and highly specialized subterranean rodent families and phylogenetically young lineages of voles. It suggests that the signatures of adaptation in individual mitochondrial protein-coding genes associated with the colonization of the subterranean niche may appear within a rather short evolutionary timespan.

Life under the earth surface is highly challenging and associated with a number of morphological, physiological and behavioral modifications. Subterranean niche protects animals from predators, fluctuations in environmental parameters, but is characterized by high levels of carbon dioxide and low levels of oxygen and implies high energy requirements associated with burrowing. Moreover, it lacks most of the sensory inputs available above ground. The current study describes results from RNA-seq analysis of four subterranean voles from subfamily Arvicolinae: Prometheomys schaposchnikowi, Ellobius lutescens, Terricola subterraneus, and Lasiopodomys mandarinus. Original RNA-seq data were obtained for eight species, for nine species, SRA data were downloaded from the NCBI SRA database. Additionally assembled transcriptomes of Mynomes ochrogaster and Cricetulus griseus were included in the analysis. We searched for the selection signatures and parallel amino acid substitutions in a total of 19 species. Even within this limited data set, we found significant changes of dN/dS ratio by free-ratio model analysis for subterranean Arvicolinae. Parallel substitutions were detected in genes RAD23B and PYCR2. These genes are associated with DNA repair processes and response to oxidative stress. Similar substitutions were discovered in the RAD23 genes for highly specialized subterranean Heterocephalus glaber and Fukomys damarensis. The most pronounced signatures of adaptive evolution related to subterranean niche within species of Arvicolinae subfamily were detected for Ellobius lutescens. Our results suggest that genomic adaptations can occur very quickly so far as the amount of selection signatures was found to be compliant with the degree of specialization to the subterranean niche and independent from the evolutionary age of the taxon. We found that the number of genomic signatures of selection does not depend on the age of the taxon, but is positively correlated with the degree of specialization to the subterranean niche.