The Complete Mitochondrial Genome of Four Hylicinae (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae): Structural Features and Phylogenetic Implications

• Main Authors: Jiu Tang, Weijian Huang, Yalin Zhang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-12-01
• Series: Insects
• Subjects: mitochondrial DNA; leafhopper; Hylicinae; phylogeny
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/11/12/869

To reveal mtgenome characterizations and reconstruct phylogenetic relationships of Hylicinae, the complete mtgenomes of four hylicine species, including <i>Nacolus tuberculatus</i>, <i>Hylica paradoxa</i>, <i>Balala fujiana,</i> and <i>Kalasha nativa</i>, were sequenced and comparatively analyzed for the first time. We also carried out the richest (11) subfamily sampling of Cicadellidae to date, and reconstructed phylogenetic relationships of Membracoidea among 61 species based on three datasets using maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference analyses. All new sequenced mtgenomes are molecules ranging from 14,918 to 16,221 bp in length and are double stranded, circular in shape. The gene composition and arrangement of these mtgenomes are consistent with members of Membracoidea. Among 13 protein-coding genes, most show typical ATN start codons and TAR (TAA/TAG) or an incomplete stop codon T–, and several genes start by TTG/GTG. Results of the analysis for sliding window, nucleotide diversity, and nonsynonymous substitution/synonymous substitution indicate <i>cox1</i> is a comparatively slower-evolving gene while <i>atp8</i> is the fastest gene. In line with previous researches, phylogenetic results indicate that treehopper families are paraphyletic with respect to family Cicadellidae and also support the monophyly of all involved subfamilies including Hylicinae. Relationships among the four hylicine genera were recovered as (<i>Hylica</i> + (<i>Nacolus</i> + (<i>Balala</i> + <i>Kalasha</i>))).