This study resolves the long-standing taxonomic confusion between Anthaxia proteus Saunders, 1873, and A. psittacina Heyden, 1887, through morphological reexamination and molecular analyses. Consequently, A. psittacina Heyden, 1887, syn. nov., and A. psittacina nigrifrons B & iacute;l & yacute; & Svoboda, 2001, syn. nov., are synonymized with A. proteus. Furthermore, a detailed nomenclatural history, distributional records, new larval host plant information, and morphological notes, including photographs illustrating morphological variation, are provided.
Mitogenome characteristics can clarify an organism’s evolutionary history. This study analyzed and compared the mitochondrial genomes of three Plagiopholis species. These mitogenomes exhibited the following distinct characteristics: (1) a size range of 19,096 to 20,094 bp; (2) encoding 37 typical mitochondrial genes; (3) a high AT content exceeding 50%; (4) a compositional bias for A and C; (5) preferential usage of the amino acids Thr, Leu2, and Ile in protein-coding genes; (6) two exceptionally long control regions; (7) gene rearrangement events within the WANCY region; and (8) presence of a spacer between ND5 and ND6. Evolutionary analyses revealed that the mitogenomic evolution of Plagiopholis was mainly shaped by purifying selection and natural selection pressure. Among the mitochondrial genes, ATP8 exhibited the fastest evolutionary rate, while 12S RNA evolved the slowest. Ten types of gene rearrangements were detected in the WANCY region across all individuals, and these rearrangements were consistent with TDRL. This first mitogenomic analysis of the genus Plagiopholis offers new perspectives on snake mitogenome evolution.
