Comparative Mt Genomics of the Tipuloidea (Diptera: Nematocera: Tipulomorpha) and Its Implications for the Phylogeny of the Tipulomorpha

Abstract

A traditionally controversial taxon, the Tipulomorpha has been frequently discussed with respect to both its familial composition and relationships with other Nematocera. The interpretation of internal relationships within the Tipuloidea, which include the Tipulidae sensu stricto, Cylindrotomidae, Pediciidae and Limoniidae, is also problematic. We sequenced the first complete mitochondrial (mt) genome of Symplecta hybrida (Meigen, 1804), which belongs to the subfamily Chioneinae of family Limoniidae, and another five nearly complete mt genomes from the Tipuloidea. We did a comparative analysis of these mt genomics and used them, along with some other representatives of the Nematocera to construct phylogenetic trees. Trees inferred by Bayesian methods strongly support a sister-group relationship between Trichoceridae and Tipuloidea. Tipulomorpha are not supported as the earliest branch of the Diptera. Furthermore, phylogenetic trees indicate that the family Limoniidae is a paraphyletic group.

The mitochondrial genome of Chinese endemic species Pseudolimnophila (Pseudolimnophila) brunneinota (Diptera: Limoniidae)

“…The phylogenetic relationship within Tipuloidea is very clear with Pediciidae þ (Limoniidae ((Chioneinae þ Limnophilinae) þ Limoniinae) þ (Tipulidae þ Cylindrotomidae)) ( Figure 1). This relationship was supported by the previous studies in part (Petersen et al 2010;Zhang et al 2016).…”

The Complete Mitochondrial Genome of Ugyops sp. (Hemiptera: Delphacidae)

“…In Hemiptera, employing GTG as start codon of nad5 was also found in the white-backed planthopper S. furcifera ( Zhang et al 2014 ) and the kissing bug Triatoma dimidiata ( Dotson and Beard 2001 ). Furthermore, GTG was used as start codon of nad5 across a range of insect taxa, such as in some species of Diptera ( Zhang et al 2016b ), Mecoptera ( Beckenbach 2011 ), and Plecoptera ( Stewart and Beckenbach 2006 ). Seven genes ( atp6 , cox1 , cox3 , nad1 , nad4 , nad5 , and nad6 ) ended with incomplete stop codons T, which are presumably completed by polyadenylation after transcription ( Ojala et al 1981 ).…”

Diptera of the middle Eocene Kishenehn Formation. I. Documentation of diversity at the family level

“…Venational terminology is from Cumming and Wood (2017). Although recent evidence (e.g., Ribeiro, 2008;Petersen et al, 2010;Zhang et al, 2016) suggests that Limoniidae is paraphyletic, this group is treated as a family herein. The holotypes of Asilopsis fuscula Cockerell, 1921 (USNM 66572), Rhagio fossitus Melander, 1949 (USNM 112626), Sciara florissantensis Cockerell, 1917(Cockerell 1917a) (USNM 61995), S. gurnetensis Cockerell, 1915 (USNM 61435), S. locoei Cockerell, 1915 (USNM 61436) and S. protoberidis Cockerell, 1915 (USNM 61437) are housed at the NMNH, in Washington, D.C.…”