DNA barcoding of flat bugs (Hemiptera: Aradidae) with phylogenetic implications

Abstract

This work introduces an open online library of Aradidae DNA barcodes, specimen images and geographical data with intent of promoting further community-based DNA barcoding of flat bugs. We report the results of an attempt to DNA barcode 191 dry specimens of the flat bugs representing all 8 extant subfamilies of the Aradidae. 145 sequences > 300 nt in length were obtained (76% success rate; all can be seen in a publicly accessible dataset “World Aradidae”, doi: dx.doi.org/10.5883/DS-WAHG), 98 of them representing 55 species and 29 genera were > 500 nt (51%). These 98 sequences were combined with 10 Heteroptera-Trichophora outgroup taxa into an aligned matrix of 658 positions and variously analysed to obtain the first DNA-based phylogeny for the Aradidae, which was our second goal. Aradidae and five of its subfamilies (Aradinae, Aneurinae, Mezirinae, Isoderminae, Calisiinae) were recovered as monophyletic, although the latter two were markedly underrepresented. The subfamily Carventinae was consistently polyphyletic. Isoderminae + Prosympiestinae was recovered as a clade, while Aradinae formed the sister group to the rest of the family in three of four analyses. The genus Mezira appeared polyphyletic while the genus Neuroctenus was paraphyletic with respect to Ctenoneurus.