The first complete mitochondrial genome in the family Attevidae (Attevaaurea) of the order Lepidoptera

The complete mitogenome of Torodora canaliculata (Yu & Wang, 2022) (Lepidoptera: Lecithoceridae) and its phylogenetic implications

The complete mitochondrial genome sequence of Torodora canaliculata has been obtained based on the Illumina next-generation sequencing technology, which is currently the first reported mitogenome in the subfamil Torodorinae. The mitogenome is 15,590 bp in length, consisting of 13 PCGs, 22 tRNAs, 2 rRNA genes and one non-coding A + T rich control region. The phylogenetic tree constructed based on the maximum likelihood (ML) methods using the whole genome sequences does well support for the sister branch relationship between T. canaliculata and Issikiopteryx taipingensis. The complete mitogenome of T. canaliculata will provide useful genetic information for the evolutionary relationship of the Gelechioidea.

A catalogue of the Yponomeutoidea of India (Lepidoptera)

The present catalogue comprises 144 species in 54 genera and 11 families of Yponomeutoidea found in India which represents 7.6 % of the total 1,884 species. Among the 11 families present in India, Yponomeutidae is most speciose (32 species in 14 genera), followed by Lyonetiidae (28 species in four genera), Glyphipterigidae (25 species in four genera), Plutellidae (14 species in nine genera), Heliodinidae (eight species in six genera), Ypsolophidae (six species in two genera), Attevidae (five species in single genus), Argyresthiidae (five species in single genus), Praydidae (five species in single genus) and Bedelliidae (four species in single genus). Tonzidae is least diverse, represented by single species from India. 10 species (and) in 10 yponomeutoid genera are unassigned to any family. Herein, diversity and distribution of known species in different biogeographic zones of India as well as number of species described by various authors is discussed. The information on the type locality, type depository (wherever available), first reference, synonymy and distribution within as well as outside India for each of the included species is provided. Some clarifications regarding type locality within Indian states are also given.

Novel insight into lepidopteran phylogenetics from the mitochondrial genome of the apple fruit moth of the family Argyresthiidae

BACKGROUND

The order Lepidoptera has an abundance of species, including both agriculturally beneficial and detrimental insects. Molecular data has been used to investigate the phylogenetic relationships of major subdivisions in Lepidoptera, which has enhanced our understanding of the evolutionary relationships at the family and superfamily levels. However, the phylogenetic placement of many superfamilies and/or families in this order is still unknown. In this study, we determine the systematic status of the family Argyresthiidae within Lepidoptera and explore its phylogenetic affinities and implications for the evolution of the order. We describe the first mitochondrial (mt) genome from a member of Argyresthiidae, the apple fruit moth Argyresthia conjugella. The insect is an important pest on apples in Fennoscandia, as it switches hosts when the main host fails to produce crops.

RESULTS

The mt genome of A. conjugella contains 16,044 bp and encodes all 37 genes commonly found in insect mt genomes, including 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), two ribosomal RNAs, 22 transfer RNAs, and a large control region (1101 bp). The nucleotide composition was extremely AT-rich (82%). All detected PCGs (13) began with an ATN codon and terminated with a TAA stop codon, except the start codon in cox1 is ATT. All 22 tRNAs had cloverleaf secondary structures, except trnS1, where one of the dihydrouridine (DHU) arms is missing, reflecting potential differences in gene expression. When compared to the mt genomes of 507 other Lepidoptera representing 18 superfamilies and 42 families, phylogenomic analyses found that A. conjugella had the closest relationship with the Plutellidae family (Yponomeutoidea-super family). We also detected a sister relationship between Yponomeutoidea and the superfamily Tineidae.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results underline the potential importance of mt genomes in comparative genomic analyses of Lepidoptera species and provide valuable evolutionary insight across the tree of Lepidoptera species.