Abstract Parasitising over 100 families belonging to 10 insect orders, the ubiquitous jewel wasps in the subfamily Tetrastichinae (Chalcidoidea: Eulophidae) are vital to terrestrial ecosystems worldwide as key insect population regulators. Yet this important group, with nearly 2500 described species, is one of the most taxonomically neglected. Here, we present the most detailed phylogenetic hypothesis for the subfamily to date, sampling a third (39/115) of the currently described genera. By analysing three different datasets using both concatenated (IQ‐TREE) and multispecies coalescent approaches (wASTRAL)—3033 Benchmarking Universal Single Copy Orthologs (BUSCOs) for 163 taxa, 1820 Ultraconserved Elements (UCEs) for 219 taxa and 12 mitochondrial genes for 177 taxa—we reveal rampant para‐ and polyphyly at the genus level within Tetrastichinae. Our results also reveal the presence of many undescribed and cryptic species. Overall, we provide a robust phylogenetic hypothesis for the subfamily, highlighting our poor knowledge of the group and calling for a major taxonomic revision of Tetrastichinae at both the generic and species levels. We also present an alternative approach to conducting phylogenomic studies of minute Hymenoptera, using whole‐genome shotgun sequencing instead of relying on a hybrid‐target enrichment approach, demonstrating its efficiency for samples up to 60 years old at the time of extraction. As a product of our bioinformatic workflow, we also provide 164 DNA barcodes and 164 genomes of varying completeness, laying the foundation for future genomic, evolutionary and biodiversity studies of Tetrastichinae.
Abstract Species complexes with allopatric populations scattered across a wide geographic area represent some of the most challenging topics for taxonomy, as well as for the prioritisation of limited conservation resources. A prime example is represented by cold‐adapted butterflies of the Polyommatus eros species group, with a fragmented distribution across Eurasia. In Europe, this group was often regarded as comprising two species ( Polyommatus eros (Ochsenheimer) and Polyommatus eroides (Frivaldszky)), although different taxonomic views recognised from one to four species. Based on limited material and genetic data, a single species ( P. eros ) was recognised by the most recent checklists of European butterflies. Here, we use genome‐wide data (double digest RAD sequencing) coupled with information on wing spectral characteristics to investigate evolutionary relationships among European butterflies of the P. eros species group. Taken together, results of phylogenetic analyses, genetic structure, gene flow, species delimitation and wing reflectance revealed a complex pattern likely shaped by the Pleistocene glaciations. While differentiation between some populations is relatively low, two lineages (one detected in mountains at the border between Albania and Montenegro, the other, assignable to taxon menelaos , endemic to southern Greece) appear to be undergoing accelerated differentiation. The endangered taxon menelaos is particularly differentiated in terms of genetics and wing spectral properties, the latter suggesting reinforcement with respect to Balkan eroides . Although assessed at a continental scale, a more complete understanding of the intricate patterns displayed by this species group will only be possible with the inclusion of extra‐European populations.
Abstract Mantodea are among the most charismatic insects, and investigations of their evolutionary history interrogate some of their most compelling morphological traits. Despite this, studies of Mantodea systematics have often drastically changed historical perspectives about their evolutionary history, underscoring the lack of study on the group. The present account provides a comprehensive transcriptomic analysis with 51 species from 14 of the 16 established superfamilies that resolves several critical questions in mantodean phylogeny, including the relationship among the five major lineages, namely Chaeteessoidea, Mantoidoidea, Metallyticoidea, Amerimantodea and Cernomantodea. The inferred phylogeny highlights a well‐supported sister‐group relation between Chaeteessoidea and all remaining extant mantids. This placement of Chaeteessoidea implies that its unique thoracic musculature and foreleg morphology are indeed ancestral traits, which bridge cockroach‐like ancestors and derived Mantodea lineages. Our results are ambiguous about the position of Metallyticoidea in relation to Mantoidoidea, as we recover conflicting signals between the different analyses performed. Within Amerimantodea and Cernomantodea, we corroborate prior research by demonstrating the polyphyletic nature of traditional taxonomic groups and the significant role of morphological convergence in obscuring true evolutionary relationships. Divergence estimates place the split between cockroaches and praying mantises in the middle of the Permian period at ~274 ± 37 million years ago (mya), with crown‐Mantodea originating around 185 mya in the Jurassic, predating most previous estimates and suggesting a deep evolutionary history shaped by significant geological changes. In particular, the dated phylogeny and the distribution of Mantodea's major extant lineages provide additional evidence that vicariance associated with the breakup of Gondwana played a crucial role in the early diversification of the group. In summary, this study establishes a robust phylogenomic framework for Mantodea and clarifies long‐standing systematic uncertainties, providing a solid foundation for future research into praying mantises' evolution, biogeography and morphological diversification.
Complex diversification histories shaped by dynamic palaeogeographical processes, such as those associated with continental archipelagos, pose major challenges for delimiting taxonomic boundaries. The present study focuses on Dailognatha quadricollis, an insular group of darkling beetles with a complex taxonomic history that has presumably diversified non-adaptively across the Aegean archipelago. For the first time, the taxonomic status of the 12 subspecies assigned to D. quadricollis is revised under an integrative framework, utilizing single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data obtained from double digest restriction-site associated DNA (ddRAD) sequencing in combination with morphological characters and geographic information. Congruence among alternative species delimitation methods supports the subdivision of D. quadricollis into three species, resulting in the following taxonomic changes: Dailognatha quadricollis (Brull & eacute;) (= Tentyria laticollis Besser syn. nov.), Dailognatha carceli Solier stat. resurr. (= D. quadricollis anaphiana Koch syn. nov., = D. quadricollis sporadica Koch syn. nov.), Dailognatha rugata Solier stat. resurr. (= D. obtusangula Reitter syn. nov., = D. quadricollis montana Koch syn. nov., = D. quadricollis plicata Koch syn. nov., = D. quadricollis pseudobtusangula Koch syn. nov., = D. quadricollis rhodica Koch syn. nov., = D. quadricollis samosana Koch syn. nov.). A taxonomic key for the three delimited species is also provided, demonstrating the taxonomic utility of characters not previously studied within the group, including genital morphology and mesoventrite punctation. Overall, this study highlights the value of integrating genomic, morphological and geographical data when delimiting cryptic lineages across geographically fragmented systems and raises broader questions regarding the systematics of insular species complexes comprising multiple subspecies.
The systematic placement of the enigmatic South African moth Apoprogones hesperistis Hampson, which superficially resembles hesperiid skippers and sematurid moths, has long been controversial. Its rarity has hindered detailed morphological study, and the absence of fresh material has precluded molecular analyses. We investigated its phylogenetic position using non-destructive DNA extraction from the holotype collected in 1902, followed by museomic sequencing, and complemented these data with non-destructive micro-CT-based morphological examination. In a first analysis based on a Macroheterocera dataset including mitogenomes of 114 taxa, A. hesperistis was placed within Geometroidea as sister to an undescribed lineage from southern South America. A second, Geometroidea-focused phylogenomic analysis of 45 taxa confirmed this placement, recovering A. hesperistis within the lineage of geometroid families lacking tympanic hearing organs, again as sister to the same undescribed South American lineage. Together, these taxa formed a clade positioned between the Southeast Asian families Pseudobistonidae and Epicopeiidae. We describe a new genus, Ona Sihvonen, Hausmann & Brehm gen. n., with Ona australis Sihvonen, Hausmann & Brehm sp. n. from Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, as type species. Apoprogones and Ona are classified in the revived family Apoprogonidae, each representing a monotypic subfamily-Apoprogoninae and Onainae-to reflect their distinctiveness. We further show that Geometroidea comprises both tympanic and non-tympanic lineages, with 99.4% of described species possessing hearing organs. We hypothesize that the abdominal hearing organ, particularly the geometrid-specific structure called ansa, may represent a key innovation promoting diversification of the lineage post Cretaceous-Tertiary (K-T) boundary ca 66 Mya.
