Unique Duplication of <i>trnN</i> in <i>Odontoptilum angulatum</i> (Lepidoptera: Pyrginae) and Phylogeny within Hesperiidae

• Main Authors: Jiaqi Liu, Jintian Xiao, Xiangyu Hao, Xiangqun Yuan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-04-01
• Series: Insects
• Subjects: Tagiadini; mitogenome; TDRL model; tRNA gene duplication; phylogenetic analysis
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/12/4/348

To explore the variation and relationship between gene rearrangement and phylogenetic effectiveness of mitogenomes among lineages of the diversification of the tribe Tagiadini in the subfamily Pyrginae, we sequenced the complete mitogenome of <i>Odontoptilum angulatum</i>. The genome is 15,361 bp with the typical 37 genes, a large AT-rich region and an additional <i>trnN</i> (<i>trnN2</i>), which is completely identical to <i>trnN</i> (sequence similarity: 100%). The gene order differs from the typical Lepidoptera-specific arrangement and is unique to Hesperiidae. The presence of a “pseudo-<i>trnS1</i>” in the non-coding region between <i>trnN1</i> and <i>trnN2</i> supports the hypothesis that the presence of an extra <i>trnN</i> can be explained by the tandem duplication-random loss (TDRL) model. Regarding the phylogenetic analyses, we found that the dataset comprising all 37 genes produced the highest node support, as well as a monophyly of Pyrginae, indicating that the inclusion of RNAs improves the phylogenetic signal. Relationships among the subfamilies in Hesperiidae were also in general agreement with the results of previous studies. The monophyly of Tagiadini is strongly supported. Our study provides a new orientation for application of compositional and mutational biases of mitogenomes in phylogenetic analysis of Tagiadini and even all Hesperiidae based on larger taxon sampling in the future.