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1. Redefinition of the cicada tribe Hemidictyini Distant, 1905, status of the tribe Iruanini Boulard, 1993 rev. stat., and the establishment of Hovanini n. tribe and Sapantangini n. tribe (Hemiptera: Cicadidae)

   https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4747.1.5  

   SANBORN, ALLEN F. ; MARSHALL, DAVID C. ; MOULDS, MAXWELL S. ; PUISSANT, STÉPHANE ; SIMON, CHRIS ( March 2020 , Zootaxa)

   null (Ed.)

   A recent paper by Ruschel & Campos (2019) on “leaf-winged” cicadas proposed a significant reorganization of the cicada tribe Hemidictyini Distant, 1905g, including synonymization of the monogeneric tribe Lacetasini Moulds & Marshall, 2018 following the results of a cladistic parsimony analysis of morphological characters. In this study, we reconsider and revise the morphological analysis of Ruschel & Campos and obtain new genetic data for Hemidictya. We find that their study suffers from a limited taxon sample, inappropriate outgroup selection, and misinterpretation of genitalic characters (uncus vs. claspers). We show that Hemidictyini sensu Ruschel & Campos includes members of multiple tribes and subfamilies, and we conclude that some of the taxonomic transfers by Ruschel & Campos are not supported. The two most similar and leaf-like cicadas, Hemidictya Burmeister, 1835 (South America) and Hovana Distant, 1905g (Madagascar), are probably not closely related but rather an excellent example of convergent evolution. Lacetasini is not a junior synonym of the Hemidictyini but a distinct part of the Tettigomyiinae Distant, 1905g as originally classified. We return or transfer the genera Lacetas Karsch, 1890, Iruana Distant, 1905g, Bafutalna Boulard, 1993, and Murphyalna Boulard, 2012 to the Lacetasini. With the transfer of all genera of Iruanina Boulard, 1993 and Bafutalnina Boulard, 1993 to Lacetasini and with Lacetas transferred to the Iruanina, Lacetasini n. syn. becomes a subjective junior synonym of Iruanini rev. stat. in the Tettigomyiinae. We assign Hovana to Hovanini n. tribe in the Tettigomyiinae and Sapantanga Distant, 1905g to Sapantangini n. tribe in the Tibicininae Distant, 1905b. We propose that Hemidictyini sensu novo contains only the genus Hemidictya and we assign the tribe to Tibicininae with a revised diagnosis. 

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2. Detecting and Removing Sample Contamination in Phylogenomic Data: An Example and its Implications for Cicadidae Phylogeny (Insecta: Hemiptera)

   https://doi.org/10.1093/sysbio/syac043  

   Owen, Christopher L. ; Marshall, David C. ; Wade, Elizabeth J. ; Meister, Russ ; Goemans, Geert ; Kunte, Krushnamegh ; Moulds, Max ; Hill, Kathy ; Villet, M. ; Pham, Thai-Hong ; et al ( June 2022 , Systematic Biology)

   Contamination of a genetic sample with DNA from one or more nontarget species is a continuing concern of molecular phylogenetic studies, both Sanger sequencing studies and next-generation sequencing studies. We developed an automated pipeline for identifying and excluding likely cross-contaminated loci based on the detection of bimodal distributions of patristic distances across gene trees. When contamination occurs between samples within a data set, a comparison between a contaminated sample and its contaminant taxon will yield bimodal distributions with one peak close to zero patristic distance. This new method does not rely on a priori knowledge of taxon relatedness nor does it determine the causes(s) of the contamination. Exclusion of putatively contaminated loci from a data set generated for the insect family Cicadidae showed that these sequences were affecting some topological patterns and branch supports, although the effects were sometimes subtle, with some contamination-influenced relationships exhibiting strong bootstrap support. Long tip branches and outlier values for one anchored phylogenomic pipeline statistic (AvgNHomologs) were correlated with the presence of contamination. While the anchored hybrid enrichment markers used here, which target hemipteroid taxa, proved effective in resolving deep and shallow level Cicadidae relationships in aggregate, individual markers contained inadequate phylogenetic signal, in part probably due to short length. The cleaned data set, consisting of 429 loci, from 90 genera representing 44 of 56 current Cicadidae tribes, supported three of the four sampled Cicadidae subfamilies in concatenated-matrix maximum likelihood (ML) and multispecies coalescent-based species tree analyses, with the fourth subfamily weakly supported in the ML trees. No well-supported patterns from previous family-level Sanger sequencing studies of Cicadidae phylogeny were contradicted. One taxon (Aragualna plenalinea) did not fall with its current subfamily in the genetic tree, and this genus and its tribe Aragualnini is reclassified to Tibicininae following morphological re-examination. Only subtle differences were observed in trees after the removal of loci for which divergent base frequencies were detected. Greater success may be achieved by increased taxon sampling and developing a probe set targeting a more recent common ancestor and longer loci. Searches for contamination are an essential step in phylogenomic analyses of all kinds and our pipeline is an effective solution. [Auchenorrhyncha; base-composition bias; Cicadidae; Cicadoidea; Hemiptera; phylogenetic conflict.]

    

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3. Out of Africa? A dated molecular phylogeny of the cicada tribe Platypleurini Schmidt (Hemiptera: Cicadidae), with a focus on African genera and the genus Platypleura Amyot & Audinet‐Serville

   https://doi.org/10.1111/syen.12360  

   Price, Benjamin W. ; Marshall, David C. ; Barker, Nigel P. ; Simon, Chris ; Villet, Martin H. ( March 2019 , Systematic Entomology)

   The Platypleurini is a large group of charismatic cicadas distributed from Cape Agulhas in South Africa, through tropical Africa, Madagascar, India and eastern Asia to Japan, with generic diversity concentrated in equatorial and southern Africa. This distribution suggests the possibility of a Gondwanan origin and dispersal to eastern Asia from Africa or India. We used a four‐gene (three mitochondrial) molecular dataset, fossil calibrations and molecular clock information to explore the phylogenetic relationships of the platypleurine cicadas and the timing and geography of their diversification. The earliest splits in the tribe were found to separate forest genera in Madagascar and equatorial Africa from the main radiation, and all of the Asian/Indian species sampled formed a younger clade nested well within the African taxa. The tribe appears to have diversified during the Cenozoic, beginningc. 50–32 Ma, with most extant African lineages originating in the Miocene or later, well after the breakup of the Gondwanan landmass. Biogeographical analysis suggests an African origin for the tribe and a single dispersal event founding the Asian platypleurines, although additional taxon sampling and genetic data will be needed to confirm this pattern because key nodes in the tree are still weakly supported. Two Platypleurini genera from Madagascar (PycnaAmyot & Audinet‐Serville,YangaDistant) are found to have originated by late Miocene dispersal of a single lineage from Africa. The genusPlatypleurais recovered as polyphyletic, withPlatypleura signiferaWalker from South Africa and many Asian/Indian species apparently requiring assignment to different genera, and a newPlatypleuraconcept is proposed with the synonymization ofAzanicadaVilletsyn.n.The generaOrapaDistant andHamzaDistant, currently listed within separate tribes but suspected of platypleurine affinity, are nested deeply within the Platypleurini radiation. The tribe Orapinisyn.n. is here synonymized while the tribe Hamzini is pending a decision of the ICZN to preserve nomenclatorial stability.

    

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4. Phylogenomic inference of the higher classification of velvet ants (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae)

   https://doi.org/10.1111/syen.12588  

   Waldren, George C. ; Sadler, Emily A. ; Murray, Elizabeth A. ; Bossert, Silas ; Danforth, Bryan N. ; Pitts, James P. ( March 2023 , Systematic Entomology)

   The family Mutillidae (Hymenoptera) is a species‐rich group of aculeate wasps that occur worldwide. The higher‐level classification of the family has historically been controversial due, in part, to the extreme sexual dimorphism exhibited by these insects and their morphological similarity to other wasp taxa that also have apterous females. Modern hypotheses on the internal higher classification of Mutillidae have been exclusively based on morphology and, further, they include Myrmosinae as a mutillid subfamily. In contrast, several molecular‐based family‐level studies of Aculeata recovered Myrmosinae as a nonmutillid taxon. To test the validity of these morphology‐based classifications and the phylogenetic placement of the controversial taxon Myrmosinae, a phylogenomic study of Mutillidae was conducted using ultraconserved elements (UCEs). All currently recognized subfamilies and tribes of Mutillidae were represented in this study using 140 ingroup taxa. The maximum likelihood criterion (ML) and the maximum parsimony criterion (MP) were used to infer the phylogenetic relationships within the family and related taxa using an aligned data set of 238,764 characters; the topologies of these respective analyses were largely congruent. The modern higher classification of Mutillidae, based on morphology, is largely congruent with the phylogenomic results of this study at the subfamily level, whereas the tribal classification is poorly supported. The subfamily Myrmosinae was recovered as sister to Sapygidae in the ML analysis and sister to Sapygidae + Pompilidae in the MP analysis; it is consequently raised to the family level, Myrmosidae,stat.nov.The two constituent tribes of Myrmosidae are raised to the subfamily level, Kudakrumiinae,stat.nov., and Myrmosinae,stat.nov.All four recognized tribes of Mutillinae were found to be non‐monophyletic; three additional mutilline clades were recovered in addition to Ctenotillini, Mutillini, Smicromyrmini, and Trogaspidiini sensu stricto. Three new tribes are erected for members of these clades: Pristomutillini Waldren,trib.nov., Psammothermini Waldren,trib.nov., and Zeugomutillini Waldren,trib.nov.All three recognized tribes of Sphaeropthalminae were found to be non‐monophyletic; six additional sphaeropthalmine clades were recovered in addition to Dasymutillini, Pseudomethocini, and Sphaeropthalmini sensu stricto. The subtribe Ephutina of Mutillinae: Mutillini was found to be polyphyletic, with theEphutagenus‐group recovered within Sphaeropthalminae and theOdontomutillagenus‐group recovered as sister to Myrmillinae + Mutillinae. Consequently, the subtribe Ephutina is transferred from Mutillinae: Mutillini and is raised to a tribe within Sphaeropthalminae, Ephutini,stat.nov.Further, the taxon Odontomutillinae,stat.nov., is raised from a synonym of Ephutina to the subfamily level. The sphaeropthalmine tribe Pseudomethocini was found to be polyphyletic, with the subtribe Euspinoliina recovered as a separate clade in Sphaeropthalminae; consequently, Euspinoliina is raised to a tribe, Euspinoliini,stat.nov., in Sphaeropthalminae. The dasylabrine tribe Apteromutillini was recovered within Dasylabrini and is proposed as a new synonym of Dasylabrinae. Finally, dating analyses were conducted to infer the ages of the Pompiloidea families (Mutillidae, Myrmosidae, Pompilidae, and Sapygidae) and the ages of the Mutillidae subfamilies and tribes.

    

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5. Reevaluation of Blapimorpha and Opatrinae : addressing a major phylogeny‐classification gap in darkling beetles ( Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Blaptinae )

   https://doi.org/10.1111/syen.12453  

   Kamiński, Marcin J. ; Lumen, Ryan ; Kanda, Kojun ; Iwan, Dariusz ; Johnston, M. Andrew ; Kergoat, Gael J. ; Bouchard, Patrice ; Bai, Xing Long ; Li, Xiu Min ; Ren, Guo Dong ; et al ( September 2020 , Systematic Entomology)

   The taxonomic concepts of Blapimorpha and Opatrinae (informal and traditional, morphology‐based groupings among darkling beetles) are tested using molecular phylogenetics and a reassessment of larval and adult morphology to address a major phylogeny‐classification gap in Tenebrionidae. Instead of a holistic approach (family‐level phylogeny), this study uses a bottom‐up strategy (tribal grouping) in order to define larger, monophyletic lineages within Tenebrioninae. Sampling included representatives of 27 tenebrionid tribes: Alleculini, Amarygmini, Amphidorini, Blaptini, Bolitophagini, Branchini, Cerenopini, Coniontini, Caenocrypticini, Dendarini, Eulabini, Helopini, Lagriini, Melanimini, Opatrini, Pedinini, Phaleriini, Physogasterini, Platynotini, Platyscelidini, Praociini, Scaurini, Scotobiini, Tenebrionini, Trachyscelini, Triboliini and Ulomini. Molecular analyses were based on DNA sequence data from four non‐overlapping gene regions: carbamoyl‐phosphate synthetase domain ofrudimentary(CAD) (723 bp),wingless(wg) (438 bp) and nuclear ribosomal 28S (1101 bp) and mitochondrial ribosomal 12S (363 bp). Additionally, 15 larval and imaginal characters were scored and subjected to an ancestral state reconstruction analysis. Results revealed that Amphidorini, Blaptini, Dendarini, Pedinini, Platynotini, Platyscelidini and Opatrini form a clade which can be defined by the following morphological features: adults—antennae lacking compound/stellate sensoria; procoxal cavities externally and internally closed, intersternal membrane of abdominal ventrites 3–5 visible; paired abdominal defensive glands present, elongate, not annulated; larvae—prolegs enlarged (adapted for digging); ninth tergite lacking urogomphi. To accommodate this monophyletic grouping (281 genera and ∼4000 species), the subfamily Blaptinaesens. nov.is resurrected. Prior to these results, all of the tribes within Blaptinae were classified within the polyphyletic subfamily Tenebrioninae. The non‐monophyletic nature of Terebrioninae has already been postulated by previous authors, yet no taxonomic decisions were made to fix its status. The reinstatement of Blaptinae, which groups ∼50% of the former Tenebrioninae, helps to clarify phylogenetic relations among the whole family and is the first step towards a complete higher‐level revision of Tenebrionidae. The Central Asian tribe Dissonomini (two genera, ∼30 species) was not included in Blaptinae due to a lack of representatives in the performed phylogenetic analyses; however, based on morphological features, the tribe is listed as a potential addition to the subfamily.

    

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