The family Alestidae (Ostariophysi, Characiformes): a phylogenetic analysis of a trans-Atlantic clade

The overall most parsimonious hypothesis of relationships based on 200 characters indicates that the Alestidae is the closest relative of Chalceus , a genus previously assigned to the Neotropical Characidae. Chalceus is shifted into the Alestidae, which becomes the only trans-Atlantic family level group within the Characiformes. Various previously proposed suprageneric assemblages within the Alestidae (e.g. Petersiini) failed to delimit monophyletic groups under the intrafamilial phylogenetic analysis. The evaluation of fossil alestids within the context of the phylogeny indicates that the ancestors of Alestes , Arnoldichthys , Brycinus , Bryconaethiops and Hydrocynus evolved prior to the early Eocene (Cuisian of Upper Ypresian), 49–54.8 million years ago, with the fossil Alestoides most closely related to Alestes. The phylogenetic information further indicates a minimum age of 90–112 million years for the Alestidae. Contrary to previous hypotheses, the fossil African Sindacharax was found to be most similar to the clade including the alestid genus Bryconaethiops rather than most closely related to the South American subfamily Serrasalminae. Evaluation of the fossil Mahengecharax carrolli fails to support its hypothesized placement as the sister group to all Recent members of the Alestidae. Two separate episodes of miniaturization and one episode of gigantism occurred within the evolution of the Alestidae.  © 2005 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2005, 145 , 1−144. No claim to original US government works.     

Phylogenetic relationships and the temporal context for the diversification of African characins of the family Alestidae (Ostariophysi: Characiformes): evidence from DNA sequence data

Phylogenetic relationships within the family Alestidae were investigated using parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian approaches based on a molecular dataset that included both nuclear and mitochondrial markers. Multiple representatives of all but two of the recognized alestid genera were included, which allowed for testing previous hypotheses of intergeneric relationships and the monophyly of several genera. The phylogenetic position of the Neotropical genus Chalceus with respect to the family Alestidae was also examined. In order to understand the temporal context of alestid diversification, Bayesian methods of divergence time estimation using fossil data in the form of calibration priors were used to date the nodes of the phylogenetic tree. Our results rejected the monophyly of the family as currently recognized (Alestidae sensu lato) and revealed several instances of poly- and paraphyly among genera. The genus Chalceus was recovered well nested within Neotropical characiforms, thus rejecting the hypothesis that this taxon is the most basal alestid. The estimated mean divergence time for the alestid clade (Alestidae sensu stricto) was 54 Mya with a 95% credibility interval of 63-49 Mya. These results are incongruent with the hypothesis that the origin of the family Alestidae predates the African-South American Drift-Vicariance event.     

Molecular Systematics and Evolution of Arabidopsis and Arabis

Abstract: We provide a phylogenetic analysis of the genera Arabidopsis and Arabis based on nuclear ribosomal DNA sequences. We show that traditional taxonomical concepts within tribe Ara-bideae, which includes these genera, are highly artificial. Arabis and Arabidopsis are paraphyletic and consist of several different independent lineages. The genus Capsella, originally placed in tribe Lepideae, is related to North American Arabis and the Arabidopsis thaliana lineage. Other genera, including East Asian Yin-shania, North American Halimolobus, cosmopolitan Barbarea and Cardamine, and European Aubrieta are positioned among different Arabis lineages. One Arabis species, Arabis pauciflora, is only distantly related to tribe Arabideae. Base chromosome number reduction from n = 8 to n = 5 to 7 occurred several times, suggesting that lower base chromosome numbers than n = 8 are derived in tribe Arabideae. Current knowledge on the evolution and systematics of the genera Arabis and Arabidopsis and relationships within the mustard family are summarized and discussed in the light of convergent evolution and transfer of knowledge from Arabidopsis thaliana as a molecular model plant to other species of the Cruciferae.     

Redefining Phrymaceae: the placement of Mimulus, tribe Mimuleae, and Phryma

Chloroplast trnL/F and nuclear ribosomal ITS and ETS sequence data were used to analyze phylogenetic relationships among members of tribe Mimuleae (Scrophulariaceae) and other closely related families in Lamiales. The results of these analyses led to the following conclusions. (1) The Australian genera Glossostigma and Peplidium and the taxonomically isolated Phryma join four genera of tribe Mimuleae to form a well-supported clade that is distinct from other families in the Lamiales. We refer to that clade as the subfamily Phrymoideae. (2) The genera Mazus and Lancea (tribe Mimuleae) together form a well-supported clade that we recognize as the subfamily Mazoideae. Mazoideae is weakly supported as sister to Phrymoideae. We assign Mazoideae and Phrymoideae to a redefined family Phrymaceae. (3) Mimulus is not monophyletic, because members of at least six other genera have been derived from within it. In light of the molecular evidence, it is clear that species of Phrymaceae (about 190 species) have undergone two geographically distinct radiations; one in western North America (about 130 species) and another in Australia (about 30 species). Phylogenetic interpretations of morphological evolution and biogeographical patterns are discussed.     

基于28S rDNA D2基因片段与形态特征的优茧蜂亚科系统发育研究

本研究选取优茧蜂亚科Euphorinae(膜翅目Hymenoptera:茧蜂科Braconidae)的8族19属23种作为内群,茧蜂其它6个亚科的8属8种作外群,首次结合同源核糖体28S rDNA D2基因序列片段和41个形态学特征对该亚科进行了系统发育学研究。利用"圆口类"的内茧蜂亚科Rogadinae、茧蜂亚科Braconinae、矛茧蜂亚科Doryctinae的3个亚科为根,以PAUP*4.0和MrBayes3.0B4软件分别应用最大简约法(MP)和贝叶斯法对优茧蜂亚科的分子数据和分子数据与非分子数据的结合体进行了分析;并以PAUP*4.0对优茧蜂亚科的28S rDNA D2基因序列的片段的碱基组成与碱基替代情况进行了分析。结果表明:优茧蜂亚科的28S rDNA D2基因序列片段的GC%含量在40.00%~49.25%之间变动,而对于碱基替代情况来讲,优茧蜂亚科各个成员间序列变异位点上颠换(transversion)大于转换(transition);不同的分析和算法所产生的系统发育树都表明目前根据形态定义出的优茧蜂亚科Euphorinae不是一个单系群,而是一个与蚁茧蜂亚科Neoneurinae和高腹茧蜂亚科Cenocoelinae混杂在一起的并系群;在优茧蜂亚科内部,悬茧蜂族Meterorini和食甲茧蜂族Microctonini(排除猎户茧蜂属Orionis)为单系群,而宽鞘茧蜂族Centistini、大颚茧蜂族Cosmophorini、优茧蜂族Euphorini、瓢虫茧蜂族Dinocampini为并系群;悬茧蜂族Meterorini在优茧蜂亚科Euphorinae内位于基部位置的观点得到部分的支持,同时食甲茧蜂族Microctonini被判定为相对进化的类群。此外对于优茧蜂亚科内各属之间的相互亲缘关系,不同算法所得到的系统发育属的结果不完全一致,这表明优茧蜂亚科内(属及族)的系统发育关系还有待于进一步研究。     

First phylogeny of predatory flower flies (Diptera, Syrphidae, Syrphinae) using mitochondrial COI and nuclear 28S rRNA genes: conflict and congruence with the current tribal classification

The family Syrphidae (Diptera) is traditionally divided into three subfamilies. The aim of this study was to address the monophyly of the tribes within the subfamily Syrphinae (virtually all with predaceous habits), as well as the phylogenetic placement of particular genera using molecular characters. Sequence data from the mitochondrial protein-coding gene cytochrome c oxidase subunit I ( COI ) and the nuclear 28S ribosomal RNA gene of 98 Syrphinae taxa were analyzed using optimization alignment to explore phylogenetic relationships among included taxa. Volucella pellucens was used as outgroup, and representatives of the tribe Pipizini (Eristalinae), with similar larval feeding mode, were also included. Congruence of our results with current tribal classification of Syrphinae is discussed. Our results include the tribe Toxomerini resolved as monophyletic but placed in a clade with genera Ocyptamus and Eosalpingogaster . Some genera traditionally placed into Syrphini were resolved outside of this tribe, as the sister groups to other tribes or genera. The tribe Bacchini was resolved into several different clades. We recovered Paragini as a monophyletic group, and sister group of the genus Allobaccha . The present results highlight the need of a reclassification of Syrphinae.
© The Willi Hennig Society 2008.     

Molecular phylogenetic studies of Brassica, rorippa, arabidopsis and allied genera based on the internal transcribed spacer region of 18S-25S rDNA

The phylogenetic relationships of nine genera in four tribes of the family Brassicaceae were estimated from the sequences of the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) of the 18S-25S nuclear ribosomal DNA. The entire ITS region of 16 accessions belonging to 10 species of seven genera was sequenced. Eight published sequences of Brassicaceae were also used. A total of 27 sequences were included in this study; four of them were found to be pseudogenes. Both the neighbor-joining and the parsimony trees suggest that the nine genera can be divided into three groups: (1) Arabidopsis, Cardaminopsis, Capsella, and Lepidium; (2) Rorippa and Cardamine; and (3) Brassica, Sinapis, and Raphanus. In contradiction to the proposal that Cardaminopsis and Arabidopsis be put into an expanded tribe Arabideae, our data show that these two genera are more closely related to Capsella and Lepidium (tribe Lepidieae) than to Rorippa and Cardamine (tribe Arabideae). Further, our data show that within the tribe Brassiceae, Raphanus is more closely related to B. nigra than to the B. oleracea/B. rapa clade. This result is in agreement with the nuclear data obtained in several studies, but is in conflict with the RFLP data of mitochondrial and chloroplast DNA. As pointed out by previous authors, it is possible that Raphanus is a hybrid between the B. nigra and B. oleracea/B. rapa lineages with the latter as the maternal parent.     

Molecular systematics of the deep-sea hydrothermal vent endemic Brachyuran family Bythograeidae: a comparison of three Bayesian species tree methods

Brachyuran crabs of the family Bythograeidae are endemic to deep-sea hydrothermal vents and represent one of the most successful groups of macroinvertebrates that have colonized this extreme environment. Occurring worldwide, the family includes six genera (Allograea, Austinograea, Bythograea, Cyanagraea, Gandalfus, and Segonzacia) and fourteen formally described species. To investigate their evolutionary relationships, we conducted Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian molecular phylogenetic analyses, based on DNA sequences from fragments of three mitochondrial genes (16S rDNA, Cytochrome oxidase I, and Cytochrome b) and three nuclear genes (28S rDNA, the sodium-potassium ATPase a-subunit 'NaK', and Histone H3A). We employed traditional concatenated (i.e., supermatrix) phylogenetic methods, as well as three recently developed Bayesian multilocus methods aimed at inferring species trees from potentially discordant gene trees. We found strong support for two main clades within Bythograeidae: one comprising the members of the genus Bythograea; and the other comprising the remaining genera. Relationships within each of these two clades were partially resolved. We compare our results with an earlier hypothesis on the phylogenetic relationships among bythograeid genera based on morphology. We also discuss the biogeography of the family in the light of our results. Our species tree analyses reveal differences in how each of the three methods weighs conflicting phylogenetic signal from different gene partitions and how limits on the number of outgroup taxa may affect the results.     

基于28S rDNA D2基因片段与形态特征的矛茧蜂亚科系统发育研究（膜翅目：茧蜂科）

本研究选取矛茧蜂亚科Doryctinae（昆虫纲Insecta：膜翅目Hymenoptera：茧蜂科Braconidae）的6族15属18种做内群,茧蜂科其它7亚科11属11种做外群,首次结合同源核糖体28S rDNA D2基因序列片段和100个形态学和解剖学特征对该亚科进行了系统发育学研究。利用“非圆口类"的小腹茧蜂亚科Microgastrinae为根,以PAUP*4.0和MrBayes 3.0B4软件分别应用最大简约法（MP）和贝叶斯法对矛茧蜂亚科的分子数据和分子数据与非分子数据的结合体进行了运算分析;并以PAUP*4.0对矛茧蜂亚科的28S rDNA D2基因序列片段的碱基组成与碱基替代情况进行了分析。结果表明：矛茧蜂亚科的28S rDNA D2基因序列片段的GC含量在39.33%～48.28%之间变动,而对于碱基替代情况来讲,矛茧蜂亚科各成员间序列变异位点上颠换（transversion）大于转换（transition）。不同的分析算法所产生的系统发育树都表明矛茧蜂亚科是一个界限分明的单系群;在矛茧蜂亚科内,除了吉丁茧蜂族Siragrini为单系群外,其他族（矛茧蜂族Doryctini和方头茧蜂族Hecabolini）都是并系群。对于矛茧蜂亚科内各属之间的相互亲缘关系,不同算法所得的系统发育树的拓扑结构不完全一致,表明矛茧蜂亚科内（属及族）的系统发育关系还有待于进一步研究。     

Phylogeny of the tribe Fumarieae (Papaveraceae s.l.) based on chloroplast and nuclear DNA sequences: Evolutionary and biogeographic implications

? Premise of the Study: Little research has been done at the molecular level on the tribe Fumarieae (Papaveraceae). Papaveraceae is a model plant group for studying evolutionary patterns despite the lack of a reference phylogeny for this tribe. We investigated the phylogenetic relationships within the tribe to complete the molecular data for this family in order to help understand its character evolution and biogeographic pattern. ? Methods: We used maximum-parsimony and Bayesian approaches to analyze five DNA regions for 25 species representing 10 of the 11 Fumarieae genera and five outgroups. Evolutionary pathways of four characters (habit, life span, type of fruit, and number of seeds per fruit) were inferred on the phylogeny using parsimony. The ancestral distribution areas were reconstructed using dispersal-vicariance analysis. ? Key Results: Fumarieae is monophyletic and includes three groups that agree with the morphology-based subtribes: Discocapninae, Fumariinae, and Sarcocapninae. Within subtribes, the relationships among genera were different from those obtained with morphological data. Annual life span, nonchasmophytic habit, and a several-seeded capsule were the basal character states for the tribe. The ancestor occupied a continuous area between West Eurasia and Africa. Vicariances explain the divergence between lineages Discocapninae (South Africa) and Fumariinae-Sarcocapninae (Mediterranean), and the disjunction of Fumariinae (Mediterranean-Central Asia). ? Conclusions: Molecular phylogeny confirms the subtribal classification of Fumarieae based on morphology. However it provides different results regarding the relationships among genera within each subtribe, which affects the inference of the evolutionary pathway followed by the four selected characters. The disjunct distribution of the tribe is explained by different vicariance scenarios.     

Molecular systematics of the Jacks (Perciformes: Carangidae) based on mitochondrial cytochrome b sequences using parsimony,likelihood, and Bayesian approaches

The Carangidae represent a diverse family of marine fishes that include both ecologically and economically important species. Currently, there are four recognized tribes within the family, but phylogenetic relationships among them based on morphology are not resolved. In addition, the tribe Carangini contains species with a variety of body forms and no study has tried to interpret the evolution of this diversity. We used DNA sequences from the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene to reconstruct the phylogenetic history of 50 species from each of the four tribes of Carangidae and four carangoid outgroup taxa. We found support for the monophyly of three tribes within the Carangidae (Carangini, Naucratini, and Trachinotini); however, monophyly of the fourth tribe (Scomberoidini) remains questionable. A sister group relationship between the Carangini and the Naucratini is well supported. This clade is apparently sister to the Trachinotini plus Scomberoidini but there is uncertain support for this relationship. Additionally, we examined the evolution of body form within the tribe Carangini and determined that each of the predominant clades has a distinct evolutionary trend in body form. We tested three methods of phylogenetic inference, parsimony, maximum-likelihood, and Bayesian inference. Whereas the three analyses produced largely congruent hypotheses, they differed in several important relationships. Maximum-likelihood and Bayesian methods produced hypotheses with higher support values for deep branches. The Bayesian analysis was computationally much faster and yet produced phylogenetic hypotheses that were very similar to those of the maximum-likelihood analysis.     

Phylogenetic relationships, character evolution, and taxonomic implications within the slipper lobsters (Crustacea: Decapoda: Scyllaridae)

The slipper lobsters belong to the family Scyllaridae which contains a total of 20 genera and 89 species distributed across four subfamilies (Arctidinae, Ibacinae, Scyllarinae, and Theninae). We have collected nucleotide sequence data from regions of five different genes (16S, 18S, COI, 28S, H3) to estimate phylogenetic relationships among 54 species from the Scyllaridae with a focus on the species rich subfamily Scyllarinae. We have included in our analyses at least one representative from all 20 genera in the Scyllaridae and 35 of the 52 species within the Scyllarinae. Our resulting phylogenetic estimate shows the subfamilies are monophyletic, except for Ibacinae, which has paraphyletic relationships among genera. Many of the genera within the Scyllarinae form non-monophyletic groups, while the genera from all other subfamilies form well supported clades. We discuss the implications of this history on the evolution of morphological characters and ecological transitions (nearshore vs. offshore) within the slipper lobsters. Finally, we identify, through ancestral state character reconstructions, key morphological features diagnostic of the major clades of diversity within the Scyllaridae and relate this character evolution to current taxonomy and classification.     

Canegrubs and cladistics: what story do adult, larval and ecological characters tell?

Abstract  Melolonthine scarabs, canegrubs, are the most important pests of Australian sugarcane. The 19 species are sometimes viewed as one pest; however, these species are quite diverse, are placed in four genera and a number of species-groupings in one of those genera, show different life histories and adult behaviours, and some have distinct soil-type preferences. Three questions concerning relationships between the canegrubs were addressed here. First, the relationships suggested by a taxonomic revision of the whole tribe based on adult characters were generally confirmed through phylogenetic analysis. Second, neither the larval characters nor the ecological characters show similar distinct phylogenetic patterns; more characters are needed to resolve the relationships. Third, the analysis of a combination of adult, larval and ecological characters, the 'total evidence' approach, does give a more robust phylogenetic arrangement than that derived from only adult characters. This analysis strengthens the understanding of the relationships among canegrubs and provides the basis for improved management systems for these pests.     

九种绢丝昆虫线粒体12S rRNA基因的序列特征和系统发育分析

为探讨鳞翅目中绢丝昆虫之间的系统发育关系和分子进化特征,本研究测定了中国柞蚕Antheraea pernyi野生型和放养型的线粒体12S rRNA基因的部分序列,结合来自GenBank数据库的17条序列,对总共9种绢丝昆虫（2科3属）的12S rRNA基因序列进行了分析。利用软件MEGA 3.1进行碱基组成、变异位点的统计和分子进化分析,分别用类平均聚类法（UPGMA）、邻接法（NJ）、最小进化法（ME）、最大简约法（MP）重建系统发生树。测定的中国柞蚕野生型的12S rRNA基因序列（427 bp）与放养型“豫早1号”的序列完全一致。序列对齐后共鉴定80个变异位点,50个简约信息位点。碱基组成分析显示在科属间具有明显差异,AT含量蚕蛾科高于大蚕蛾科;在A和T碱基的使用上,大蚕蛾科偏好使用T,而蚕蛾科则偏好使用A。与动物中常见的以转换为主的碱基替换模式不同,所分析的9种昆虫中除桑蚕属内部为转换与颠换基本一致外,其余物种间均是颠换多于转换。进化分析支持柞蚕属、樗蚕属和桑蚕属的单系。基于UPGMA法的进化树支持琥珀蚕是柞蚕属的较原始类型,而NJ、ME和MP法则支持印度柞蚕是较原始的类型,因此,柞蚕属种间的进化关系尚需进一步研究。     

基于16S rDNA和28S rDNA D2基因序列与形态特征联合分析的中国角顶叶蝉亚科系统发育研究（半翅目： 叶蝉科）

首次在国内利用28S rDNA D2区段和16S rDNA基因序列,结合50个形态特征对角顶叶蝉亚科(Deltocephalinae)［半翅目（Hemiptera）: 叶蝉科（Cicadellidae）］19个属进行系统发育分析研究。从无水乙醇浸泡保存的标本中提取基因组DNA并扩增了19个内群和1种外群Typhlocybinae［半翅目(Hemiptera): 叶蝉科(Cicadellidae)］种类的28S rDNA D2基因片段并测序,同时扩增了16S rDNA基因片段并测序11条,采用了GenBank中1个种类的16S rDNA同源序列。采用PAUP*4.0和MrBayes3.0两个分析软件和3种建树方法,利用同源28S D2 rDNA和16S rDNA两个基因序列与形态特征结合进行系统发育分析研究。分析结果表明,二叉叶蝉族Macrostelini是一个单系,并在角顶叶蝉亚科的系统发育中处于基部的位置,是内群中最原始的族;角顶叶蝉族Deltocephalini中除了纹翅叶蝉属Nakaharanus,其余各属构成单系;殃叶蝉族Euscelini内属的归属比较混乱,可能是一个并系群,属间差异有待进一步研究。隆额叶蝉族Paralimnini与顶带叶蝉族Athysanini是姐妹群。带叶蝉属Scaphoideus与纹翅叶蝉属Nakaharanus是姐妹群,二者与木叶蝉属Phlogotettix的关系最近,三者构成一个单系,建议将三者归为带叶蝉族Scaphoideini。研究结果还表明,小眼叶蝉族Xestocephalini和Balcluthini的系统发育位置不明,有待进一步研究。     

Phylogenetics, biogeography, and staminal evolution in the tribe Mentheae (Lamiaceae)

? Premise of the study: The mint family (Lamiaceae) is the sixth largest family of flowering plants, with the tribe Mentheae containing about a third of the species. We present a detailed perspective on the evolution of the tribe Mentheae based on a phylogenetic analysis of cpDNA and nrDNA that is the most comprehensive to date, a biogeographic set of analyses using a fossil-calibrated chronogram, and an examination of staminal evolution. ? Methods: Data from four cpDNA and two nrDNA markers representing all extant genera within the tribe Mentheae were analyzed using the programs BEAST, Lagrange, S-DIVA, and BayesTraits. BEAST was used to simultaneously estimate phylogeny and divergence times, Lagrange and S-DIVA were used for biogeographical reconstruction, and BayesTraits was used to infer staminal evolution within the tribe. ? Key results: Currently accepted subtribal delimitations are shown to be invalid and are updated. The Mentheae and all five of its subtribes have a Mediterranean origin and have dispersed to the New World multiple times. The vast majority of New World species of subtribe Menthinae are the product of a single dispersal event in the mid-late Miocene. At least four transitions from four stamens to two stamens have occurred within Mentheae, once in the subtribe Salviinae, once in the subtribe Lycopinae, and at least twice in the subtribe Menthinae. ? Conclusions: Worldwide cooling trends probably played a large role in the diversification and present day distribution of the tribe Mentheae. Additional work is needed to ascertain relationships within some Mentheae genera, especially in the subtribe Menthinae.     

A comprehensive molecular phylogeny of tiger beetles (Coleoptera,Carabidae, Cicindelinae)

Tiger beetles are a remarkable group that captivates amateur entomologists, taxonomists and evolutionary biologists alike. This diverse clade of beetles comprises about 2300 currently described species found across the globe. Despite the charisma and scientific interest of this lineage, remarkably few studies have examined its phylogenetic relationships with large taxon sampling. Prior phylogenetic studies have focused on relationships within cicindeline tribes or genera, and none of the studies have included sufficient taxon sampling to conclusively examine broad species patterns across the entire subfamily. Studies that have attempted to reconstruct higher‐level relationships of Cicindelinae have yielded conflicting results. Here, we present the first taxonomically comprehensive molecular phylogeny of Cicindelinae to date, with the goal of creating a framework for future studies focusing on this important insect lineage. We utilized all available published molecular data, generating a final concatenated dataset including 328 cicindeline species, with molecular data sampled from six protein‐coding gene fragments and three ribosomal gene fragments. Our maximum‐likelihood phylogenetic inferences recover Cicindelinae as sister to the wrinkled bark beetles of the subfamily Rhysodinae. This new phylogenetic hypothesis for Cicindelinae contradicts our current understanding of tiger beetle phylogenetic relationships, with several tribes, subtribes and genera being inferred as paraphyletic. Most notably, the tribe Manticorini is recovered nested within Platychilini including the genera Amblycheila Say, Omus Eschscholtz, Picnochile Motschulsky and Platychile Macleay. The tribe Megacephalini is recovered as paraphyletic due to the placement of the monophyletic subtribe Oxycheilina as sister to Cicindelini, whereas the monophyletic Megacephalina is inferred as sister to Oxycheilina, Cicindelini and Collyridini. The tribe Collyridini is paraphyletic with the subtribes Collyridina and Tricondylina in one clade, and Ctenostomina in a second one. The tribe Cicindelini is recovered as monophyletic although several genera are inferred as para‐ or polyphyletic. Our results provide a novel phylogenetic framework to revise the classification of tiger beetles and to encourage the generation of focused molecular datasets that will permit investigation of the evolutionary history of this lineage through space and time.     

盔唇瓢虫族(鞘翅目：瓢虫科)系统分类研究进展

盔唇瓢虫族昆虫是瓢虫科中一类重要的捕食性天敌,主要捕食介壳虫,是该类害虫的重要生物防治天敌。盔唇瓢虫族昆虫研究历史悠久,目前世界盔唇瓢虫族包括22属超过280种,其中有9属42种分布在中国。该族许多属建立时间早,鉴别特征的原始描述不够详细,导致属间界定模糊,属的地位时常受到质疑且变动频繁。一些种类丰富,形态多变、且分布广泛的属如盔唇瓢虫属、光缘瓢虫属仍缺少世界性的订正研究。随着瓢虫科分子系统发育研究的开展,瓢虫科经典分类系统受到了较大的挑战,而盔唇瓢虫亚科已被证实为非单系起源的类群。目前,将盔唇瓢虫族归入瓢虫亚科得到绝大多数瓢虫科分子系统发育研究的支持,但与其它类群的亲缘关系仍存争议。尽管已有研究对盔唇瓢虫族现存所有属的系统发育关系进行了分析,但部分类群缺少分子数据,导致这些类群在该族系统发育关系中的位置并不明确。本文回顾了国内外盔唇瓢虫族的分类历史,记述了目前该族在瓢虫科的分类地位以及族下系统发育关系进展,最后对盔唇瓢虫族分类研究存在的问题及未来研究进行了展望。     

Molecular systematics reveals the origins of subsociality in tortoise beetles (Coleoptera,Chrysomelidae, Cassidinae)

Subsocial behaviour is known to occur in at least 19 insect orders and 17 families of Coleoptera. Within the leaf beetle family, Chrysomelidae, extended maternal care is reported in only 2 of 15 subfamilies: Cassidinae and Chrysomelinae. Although the emergence of subsociality in insects has received much attention, extensive analyses on the evolution of this behaviour based on phylogenetic approaches are missing. Subsociality is recorded in 33 species of tortoise beetles belonging to the tribes Mesomphaliini and Eugenysini. A molecular phylogenetic reconstruction of these tribes and the remaining five Neotropical tribes of cassidine tortoise beetles was used to investigate the evolution of maternal care and to elucidate the phylogenetic relationships among Neotropical cassidine tribes. A phylogeny was constructed using 90 species and three loci from both mitochondrial and nuclear genes (COI, CAD and 28S). Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood analyses based on a concatenated dataset recovered two independent origins, with no evidence of reversal to solitary behaviour. One origin comprises three Mesomphaliini genera tightly associated with Convolvulaceae, and the other consists of the genus Eugenysa Chevrolat (Eugenysini), a small clade embedded within a group feeding exclusively on Asteraceae. A previous hypothesis suggesting dual origins on different host plants was confirmed, whereas other hypotheses based on a phylogenetic reconstruction of Cassidinae could not be sustained. Our analysis also revealed that the tribe Mesomphaliini is a monophyletic taxon if Eugenysini is included, and for this reason, we re-establish synonymy of both tribes. We also provide nine new records of subsociality for tortoise beetles species.