A molecular phylogeny and revised higher‐level classification for the leaf‐mining moth family Gracillariidae and its implications for larval host‐use evolution

Abstract

Gracillariidae are one of the most diverse families of internally feeding insects, and many species are economically important. Study of this family has been hampered by lack of a robust and comprehensive phylogeny. In the present paper, we sequenced up to 22 genes in 96 gracillariid species, representing all previously recognized subfamilies and genus groups, plus 20 outgroups representing other families and superfamilies. Following objective identification and removal of two rogue taxa, two datasets were constructed: dataset 1, which included 12 loci totalling 9927 bp for 94 taxa, and dataset 2, which supplemented dataset 1 with 10 additional loci for 10 taxa, for a total of 22 loci and 16 167 bp. Maximum likelihood analyses strongly supported the monophyly of Gracillariidae and most previously recognized subfamilies and genus groups. On this basis, we propose a new classification consisting of eight subfamilies, four of which are newly recognized or resurrected: Acrocercopinae Kawahara & Ohshima subfam. n.; Gracillariinae Stainton; Lithocolletinae Stainton; Marmarinae Kawahara & Ohshima subfam. n.; Oecophyllembiinae Réal & Balachowsky; Parornichinae Kawahara & Ohshima subfam. n.; Ornixolinae Kuznetzov & Baryshnikova stat. rev.; and Phyllocnistinae Zeller. The subfamily Gracillariinae is restricted to the monophyletic group comprising Gracillaria Haworth and closely related genera. We also formally transfer Acrocercops scriptulata Meyrick to Ornixolinae and use the name Diphtheroptila Vári, creating Diphtheroptila scriptulata comb. n. An exploratory mapping of larval host‐use traits on the phylogeny shows strong conservation of modes of leaf mining but much higher lability of associations with host plant orders and families, suggesting that host shifts could play a significant role in gracillariid diversification. This published work has been registered in ZooBank, http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:942814A2-DE66-41D4-8AB6-FF0B18C87EDB.

Description, natural history and genetic variation ofCaloptilia guacanivorasp. nov. Vargas‐Ortiz & Vargas (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) in the Atacama Desert, Chile

“…nov. along with the available sequences of South American Caloptilia provided by Lees et al (2014) and Nakadai and Kawakita (2016), all the available sequences of congeneric species that feed on Myricaceae (De Prins & De Prins 2017) and additional congeneric species taken from GenBank and BOLD using BLAST (Table 1). One species of Callisto Stephens was used to root the tree, as this genus belongs to Parornichinae, the sister subfamily of Gracillariinae (Kawahara et al 2017). The GTR + G + I (General Time-Reversible model; Rodríguez et al 1990) with gamma distribution (G) and invariable sites (I)) was selected as the best model for ML.…”

“…nov. should be placed within the Gracillarinae (sensu stricto, Kawahara et al 2017). nov. should be placed within the Gracillarinae (sensu stricto, Kawahara et al 2017).…”

“…In the case of Caloptilia, leaf cone construction is the most common pattern for the later instars (Kumata 1982), although a few species remain as leaf miners throughout the larval development, emerging only for pupation, while a Nearctic species is a gall inducer (De Prins et al 2015). Kawahara et al (2017) characterised the chaetotaxy of Gracillariinae on the presence of six labral setae, three lateral setae on the mesothorax and metathorax and two lateral setae on each abdominal segment. Kawahara et al (2017) characterised the chaetotaxy of Gracillariinae on the presence of six labral setae, three lateral setae on the mesothorax and metathorax and two lateral setae on each abdominal segment.…”

Adenogasteria leguminivora Davis & Vargas gen. et sp. nov. (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae): a new seed‐feeding micromoth associated with Fabaceae in Peru and Chile

“…Cameraria niphonica Kumata, 1963 (Lithocolletinae) was used as the proximal outgroup according to the phylogeny proposed by Kawahara et al . ().…”

New records of Lepidoptera from Ukraine and description of a new species of Caloptilia Hübner, 1825 (Lepidoptera, Gracillariidae) from the mountains of Crimea

“…6b) and rather broad forewing were not observed in any genera of this group. We provisionally place the new species in the genus Caloptilia, subfamily Gracillariinae (Kawahara et al 2017) based on the male genitalia characters until its position within Gracillariidae can be clarified by DNA studies and further examination of the wing venation. …”