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Trewick SA, Koot EM, Morgan-Richards M. Mwhitiwhiti Aotearoa: Phylogeny and synonymy of the silent alpine grasshopper radiation of New Zealand (Orthoptera: Acrididae). Zootaxa 2023; 5383:225-241. [PMID: 38221250 DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5383.2.7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2023] [Indexed: 01/16/2024]
Abstract
Aotearoa New Zealand has a fauna of endemic alpine grasshoppers, consisting of thirteen species distributed among four genera. The many re-classifications of species within this group and the presence of species complexes highlight the uncertainty that surrounds relationships within and between these genera. High-throughput Next Generation Sequencing was used to assemble the complete mitochondrial genomes, 45S ribosomal cassettes and histone sequences of New Zealands four endemic alpine genera: Alpinacris, Brachaspis, Paprides and Sigaus. Phylogenetic analysis of these molecular datasets, as individual genes, partitions and combinations returned a consistent topology that is incompatible with the current classification. The genera Sigaus, Alpinacris, and Paprides all exhibit paraphyly. A consideration of the pronotum, epiphallus and terminalia of adult specimens reveals species-specific differences, but fails to provide compelling evidence for species groups justifying distinct genera. In combination with phylogenetic, morphological and spatial evidence we propose a simplified taxonomy consisting of a single genus for the mwhitiwhiti Aotearoa species radiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven A Trewick
- Wildlife & Ecology Group; SNS; Massey University; Palmerston North; New Zealand.
| | - Emily M Koot
- Wildlife & Ecology Group; SNS; Massey University; Palmerston North; New Zealand; The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Ltd; Palmerston North; New Zealand.
| | - Mary Morgan-Richards
- Wildlife & Ecology Group; SNS; Massey University; Palmerston North; New Zealand.
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Zhang C, Mao B, Wang H, Dai L, Huang Y, Chen Z, Huang J. The Complete Mitogenomes of Three Grasshopper Species with Special Notes on the Phylogenetic Positions of Some Related Genera. INSECTS 2023; 14:85. [PMID: 36662013 PMCID: PMC9865218 DOI: 10.3390/insects14010085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2022] [Revised: 01/05/2023] [Accepted: 01/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Clarifying phylogenetic position and reconstructing robust phylogeny of groups using various evidences are an eternal theme for taxonomy and systematics. In this study, the complete mitogenomes of Longzhouacris mirabilis, Ranacris albicornis, and Conophyma zhaosuensis were sequenced using next-generation sequencing (NGS), and the characteristics of the mitogenomes are presented briefly. The mitogenomes of the three species are all circular molecules with total lengths of 16,164 bp, 15,720 bp, and 16,190 bp, respectively. The gene structures and orders, as well as the characteristics of the mitogenomes, are similar to those of other published mitogenomes in Caelifera. The phylogeny of the main subfamilies of Acrididae with prosternal process was reconstructed using a selected dataset of mitogenome sequences under maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian inference (BI) frameworks. The results showed that the genus Emeiacris consistently fell into the subfamily Melanoplinae rather than Oxyinae, and the genus Choroedocus had the closest relationship with Shirackiacris of the subfamily Eyprepocnemidinae in both phylogenetic trees deduced from mitogenome protein coding genes (PCGs). This finding is entirely consistent with the morphological characters, which indicate that Emeiacris belongs to Melanoplinae and Choroedocus belongs to Eyprepocnemidinae. In addition, the genera Conophymacris and Xiangelilacris, as well as Ranacris and Menglacris, are two pairs of the closest relatives, but their phylogenetic positions need further study to clarify.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chulin Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Cultivation and Protection for Non-Wood Forest Trees (Central South University of Forestry and Technology), Ministry of Education, Changsha 410004, China
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Rare and Endangered Animal Ecology, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin 541004, China
- Key Laboratory of Forest Bio-Resources and Integrated Pest Management for Higher Education in Hunan Province, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, China
| | - Benyong Mao
- College of Agriculture and Biological Science, Dali University, Dali 671003, China
| | - Hanqiang Wang
- Shanghai Entomological Museum, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Li Dai
- Shanghai Entomological Museum, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Yuan Huang
- College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710119, China
| | - Zhilin Chen
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Rare and Endangered Animal Ecology, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin 541004, China
| | - Jianhua Huang
- Key Laboratory of Cultivation and Protection for Non-Wood Forest Trees (Central South University of Forestry and Technology), Ministry of Education, Changsha 410004, China
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Rare and Endangered Animal Ecology, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin 541004, China
- Key Laboratory of Forest Bio-Resources and Integrated Pest Management for Higher Education in Hunan Province, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, China
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