Inferring the Phylogenetic Positions of Two Fig Wasp Subfamilies of Epichrysomallinae and Sycophaginae Using Transcriptomes and Mitochondrial Data

Abstract

Fig wasps are a group of insects (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) that live in the compact syconia of fig trees (Moraceae: Ficus). Accurate classification and phylogenetic results are very important for studies of fig wasps, but the taxonomic statuses of some fig wasps, especially the non-pollinating subfamilies are difficult to determine, such as Epichrysomallinae and Sycophaginae. To resolve the taxonomic statuses of Epichrysomallinae and Sycophaginae, we obtained transcriptomes and mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) data for four species of fig wasps. These newly added data were combined with the data of 13 wasps (data on 11 fig wasp species were from our laboratory and two wasp species were download from NCBI). Based on the transcriptome and genome data, we obtained 145 single-copy orthologous (SCO) genes in 17 wasp species, and based on mitogenome data, we obtained 13 mitochondrial protein-coding genes (PCGs) for each of the 17 wasp species. Ultimately, we used 145 SCO genes, 13 mitochondrial PCGs and combined SCO genes and mitochondrial genes data to reconstruct the phylogenies of fig wasps using both maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian inference (BI) analyses. Our results suggest that both Epichrysomallinae and Sycophaginae are more closely related to Agaonidae with a high statistical support.

Novel Gene Rearrangement Pattern in Pachycrepoideus vindemmiae Mitochondrial Genome: New Gene Order in Pteromalidae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea)

“…to Sycoryctinae. Based our results, Otitesellinae were recovered as nested within Sycoryctinae, which made Sycoryctinae paraphyletic, a result consistent with Zhao et al [ 40 ] and Cruaud et al [ 78 ]. The clade comprising Otitesellinae and Sycoryctinae appeared sister to other Pteromalinae included in our analysis, a result consistent with Rasplus et al [ 23 ].…”

Molecular Phylogenetics and Mitochondrial Evolution

“…Mitochondrial phylogeny and comparison with nuclear data is the main purpose of the work by Zhao and colleagues [15] on two subfamilies of fig wasps, Epichrysomallinae and Sycophaginae, which are investigated using a large cluster of ortholog nuclear genes, as well as complete mitochondrial genomes; by Zadra and colleagues [16] on the genus Aedes, who found a strong and consistent incongruence between nuclear and mitochondrial phylogenetic inference (with special reference to dating), whose disentanglement is thoroughly discussed. Finally, Xia [17] reports on proper codon degeneration techniques to avoid phylogenetic artifacts when a mitochondrial phylogeny is inferred-a new method is implemented and applied to mammalian and avian lineages.…”