Next step toward a molecular phylogeny of click‐beetles (Coleoptera: Elateridae): redefinition of Pityobiinae, with a description of a new subfamily Parablacinae from the Australasian Region

Abstract

Elateridae represents one of the largest families within Coleoptera, yet their interrelationships remain under‐investigated. Molecular data are missing for most lineages, especially for the species‐poor suprageneric taxa. In this study, we investigated the limits and phylogenetic position of Pityobiinae sensu Calder (1996), a group of several small genera from the New World and Australasia, using maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference methods. We merged new sequence data with those deposited in GenBank, producing a final matrix of 178 terminal taxa and covering the main click‐beetle subfamilies. The resulting topologies showed Elaterinae as sister to remaining click‐beetle lineages, and Agrypninae as sister to the Morostomatinae + Dendrometrinae + Cardiophorinae + Negastriinae clade. Members of Hemiopinae, Lissominae, Thylacosterninae and Pityobiinae formed basal lineages within Elateridae − Elaterinae. We found Lissominae to be polyphyletic, including Thylacosterninae as a terminal lineage and with Oestodini forming an independent lineage outside that clade. Therefore, the subfamily Oestodinae stat. nov. was reinstated for the North American genera Oestodes LeConte and Bladus LeConte. The Australian genera Dicteniophorus Candèze, Drymelater Calder and Stichotomus Candèze were transferred from Dendrometrinae to Elaterinae. Pityobiinae was recovered as two distant lineages in all analyses and correspondingly the subfamily is reduced to contain only the North American Pityobius LeConte and tentatively the South American Tibionema Solier, for which we have no DNA sequences. Additionally, we propose Parablacinae subfam. nov. for the remaining former pityobiine genera from Australia and New Zealand. The new subfamily includes Parablax Schwarz, Metablax Candèze, Wynarka Calder, Xuthelater Calder, Tasmanelater Calder, Parasaphes Candèze and also Ophidius Candèze, which is transferred here from Elaterinae. We failed to find universally diagnostic synapomorphies in adult morphology for Parablacinae, a common problem in elaterid taxonomy. Future research, including a comprehensive phylogeny of the subfamily and re‐examination of the morphology of its species is crucial to understanding the limits and classification of this lineage.

World reclassification of the Cardiophorinae (Coleoptera, Elateridae), based on phylogenetic analyses of morphological characters

“…Previous studies indicated the Negastriinae were the sister group to (Sagegami-Oba et al 2007; Oba 2007; Kundrata and Bocak 2011; and Kundrata et al 2016), or rendered paraphyletic by (Douglas 2011) the Cardiophorinae. Because of this, exemplars of the type species 15 of 30 world negastriine genera, and one non-type species, were included to further test cardiophorine monophyly.…”

Revisiting the diversity of Ludioctenus Fairmaire (Elateridae: Agrypninae), with description of a new species from Afghanistan, and discussion on the systematic position of Tetrigusina

“…Moreover, the type of sclerotization and general shape of the bursa copulatrix of Ludioctenus species are rather similar to those of the Agrypnini, especially to Lanelater Arnett, 1952, though these taxa distinctly differ in many other characters. The position of Ludioctenus outside of Hemirhipini was already suggested by Casari-Chen (1993) and confirmed by the recent four-gene molecular phylogenies of Elateridae by Kundrata et al (2016Kundrata et al ( , 2018 who recovered L. cyprius sister to Adelocera but with a limited statistical support. Therefore, additional morphological and DNA-based research including various Agrypninae lineages is required for clarification of the exact systematic position of Ludioctenus and the rank of the Tetrigusina.…”

“…Additionally, they erected the new subtribe Tetrigusina within Agrypninae: Hemirhipini for the morphologically similar genera Tetrigus, Ludioctenus, Platianellus Schimmel & Tarnawski, 2012, Collisarius Schimmel & Tarnawski, 2012, and Cuneateus Schimmel & Tarnawski, 2012. Although accepted by most students of Elateridae, the placement of Tetrigus and Ludioctenus in Hemirhipini is controversial based on the morphology of their terminalia and genitalia (Casari-Chen 1993) as well as the molecular phylogeny (Kundrata et al 2016(Kundrata et al , 2018. Until now, Ludioctenus contained two species: L. cyprius (Baudi di Selve, 1871) from Greece, Cyprus, Asia Minor, and the Levant, and L. pakistanicus Schimmel & Tarnawski, 2012 from Pakistan.…”

Molecular and morphological evidence for new genera in the click‐beetle subfamily Cardiophorinae (Coleoptera: Elateridae)

“…We used representatives of Dendrometrinae sensu lato and Negastriinae as outgroups, and trees were rooted with Diplophoenicus Candèze (Morostomatinae) (Kundrata et al . ). Our dataset contained 41 terminal taxa for which at least four markers were available (Morostomatinae 1 sp., Dendrometrinae 15 spp., Negastriinae 4 spp.…”

“…; seven spp., Kundrata & Bocak ; nine spp., Kundrata et al . ). Douglas () was the first to test the phylogenetic position and monophyly of Cardiophorinae using adult morphology.…”