DOI: 10.3897/asp.84.e174408

Authors: Shao-Li Mao, Hao Yuan, Xuan-Zeng Liu, Yan-Wen Wang, Lu-Yao Yang, Ya-Fu Zhou

Abstract: Abstract The tribe Meconematini (Meconematinae) is a species-rich lineage whose genus- and species-level classifications remain taxonomically controversial. In this study, we obtained 17 new mitochondrial genomes using high-throughput sequencing and conducted the first comparative genomic and phylogenomic analyses within this tribe. The mitogenomes of Meconematini exhibit conserved structural features typical of Meconematinae, including conserved gene order, pronounced AT bias, and negative GC-skew. Notably, a rare mitochondrial initiation codon (GTG) was identified in the ATP6 gene in Meconematini. Evolutionary analyses indicated that strong purifying selection has dominated the evolution of Meconematini mitogenomes. Phylogenetic reconstructions strongly supported the monophyly of the genera Microconema Liu and Decma Gorochov, as well as the subgenus Eoxizicus Gorochov. In contrast, the genera Phlugiolopsis Zeuner, Xizicus Gorochov, and Xiphidiopsis Redtenbacher were not recovered as monophyletic. Additionally, the phylogenetic results support the recognition of Eoxizicus and Euxiphidiopsis Gorochov as distinct genera. Importantly, mitogenomic divergence patterns were correlated with genitalia structural traits: genera within the proximal clade possess membranous male genitalia (hagloid type), whereas those in more basal clades exhibit partially or fully sclerotized genitalia (tettigonioid or grylloid type). These findings collectively enable the proposal of taxonomic revisions for the non-monophyletic genera and establish a mitogenomic baseline for reconciling morphological convergence with evolutionary relationships in Meconematini.

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DOI: 10.3897/asp.83.e136516

Authors: Onur Uluar, Dragan P. Chobanov, Battal Çıplak

Abstract: A taxonomical practice without integration of systematics remains incomplete or produces incorrect definitions. To address this, we linked the taxonomy of the Poecilimon zonatus group to its systematics by examining its phylogeny and phylogeography. We used both mitochondrial and nuclear genes representing all species except P. varicornis. The mitochondrial matrix was subjected to phylogenetic analyses and species delimitation tests while phylogenetic signals in the nuclear data were assessed via haplotype network. Species delimitation tests suggested 12–16 species and the genetically divergent lineages were examined for phenotypic disparity. The results led to the following conclusions. (i) after the nomenclatural changes made here, P. zonatus group consists of 13 species, two of which are polytypic; P. salmani Sevgili syn. nov. is synonymized with P. ciplaki; the subspecies P. ciplaki denizliensis Kaya and P. zonatus datca Sevgili, Sirin, Heller & Lemonnier-Darcemont are elevated to species level as P. denizliensis Kaya stat. nov. and P. datca Sevgili, Sirin, Heller & Lemonnier-Darcemont stat. nov., respectively; P. boncukdagensis sp. nov., P. parazonatus sp. nov. and P. anisozonatus sp. nov., are described as new species, and P. datca montana subsp. nov. and P. denizliensis kizildagi subsp. nov. as new subspecies, (ii) the common ancestor of species corresponds to Mid Pleistocene Transition, suggesting the major climatic turnovers as the main evolutionary driver, (iii) the isolated relict ancestors on highlands evolved under similar selection pressures leading to a conserved phenotype, consequently, to limited morphological divergence despite their genetic differences; (iv) although morphological diagnosability is poor, each species meets the criteria of several species concepts.

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DOI: 10.3897/asp.79.e66319

Authors: Simeon Borislavov Borissov, Georgi Hristov Hristov, Dragan Petrov Chobanov

Abstract: Abstract Parthenogenetic lineages are known to rapidly colonize large areas that become available after glacial periods as parthenogenetic reproduction is beneficial over mating when the favorable season is very short. The only obligatory parthenogenetic species of the largest bush-cricket subfamily Phaneropterinae is Poecilimon intermedius. It belongs to the Anatolio-Balkan lineage Poecilimon ampliatus species group and in contrast has a remarkably broad distribution from Central Europe to China, following the pattern of geographical parthenogenesis. In this study we provide a systematic revision of the P. ampliatus group based on mitochondrial (ND2) and nuclear (ITS) phylogeny. We estimate divergence times by applying secondary calibration on the ND2 tree to test for congruence between recent splits in the group and the Pleistocene climatic oscillations. We use ecological niche modelling to analyze the ecological requirements of the parthenogenetic P. intermedius and its sexually reproducing sister species P. ampliatus. By projecting on the conditions during the Last Glacial Maximum we outline the suitable areas for both species during the glacial cycles and discuss range shifts in response to climate change. Based on all results we hypothesize that the drought-tolerant P. intermedius originated during the recent glaciations in the southwestern part of its current range and rapidly radiated in a northeastern direction. Its sister species P. ampliatus, which is adapted to higher levels of precipitation, remained in the western Balkans, where populations retreated to higher altitudes during warming.

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