Revisiting the Phylogenetic Relationship and Evolution of Gargarini with Mitochondrial Genome (Hemiptera: Membracidae: Centrotinae)

Abstract

In this study, we newly sequenced and analyzed the complete mitochondrial genomes of five genera and six species in Gargarini: Antialcidas floripennae, Centrotoscelus davidi, Kotogargara minuta, Machaerotypus stigmosus, Tricentrus fulgidus, and Tricentrus gammamaculatus. The mitochondrial genomes contain 13 protein-coding genes, two ribosomal RNA genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, and a control region. The lengths of the mitochondrial genomes are 15,253 bp to 15,812 bp, and the AT contents of the obtained mitogenomes indicate a strong AT bias, ranging from 75.8% to 78.5%. The start codons of all PCGs show that most start with a typical ATN (ATA/T/G/C) codon and less start with T/GTG; the stop codon TAA is frequently used, and TAG and a single T are less used. In Gargarini mitogenomes, all tRNA genes can be folded into the canonical cloverleaf secondary structure, except for trnaS1, which lacks a stable dihydrouridine (DHU) stem and is replaced by a simple loop. At the same time, the phylogenetic analysis of the tribe Gargarini based on sequence data of 13 PCGs from 18 treehopper species and four outgroups revealed that the 10 Gargarini species form a steady group with strong support and form a sister group with Leptocentrini, Hypsauchenini, Centrotini, and Leptobelini. Diversification within Gargarini is distinguished by a Later Cretaceous divergence that led to the rapid diversification of the species. Moreover, the ancestral state reconstructions analysis showed the absence of the suprahumeral horn, which was confirmed as the ancestor characteristic of the treehopper, which has evolved from simple to complex. Our results shed new light specifically on the molecular and phylogenetic evolution of the pronotum in Gargarini.