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Issue: Vol. 5866 No. 2: 11 Aug. 2026
Type: Article
Published: 2026-08-11
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5866.2.5
Page range: 289-304
Abstract views: 298
PDF downloaded: 13

Mitogenomics and multilocus phylogeny of Eupholidoptera Maran, 1953 (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Pholidopterini)

Biology Department; Faculty of Science; Akdeniz University; 07070; Antalya; Türkiye
Orthoptera comparative genomics integrative systematics Mediterranean biodiversity mitochondrial genome Tettigoniinae

Abstract

The rapid accumulation of complete mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) over the past two decades has substantially advanced phylogenetic and comparative genomic studies across insects. However, mitogenomic resources remain unevenly distributed among lineages. Within Tettigoniinae, the mitogenomes of only a small proportion of genera and species have been characterized, and Pholidopterini remains one of the least explored tribes. Moreover, for the Mediterranean-endemic genus Eupholidoptera, no complete mitochondrial genome has been reported. Here, the first complete mitogenomes of four Eupholidoptera species were generated and characterized. Together with the available mitogenomes of Pholidoptera, Psorodonotus, and Uvarovistia, these genomes enabled the first comparative mitogenomic assessment of Pholidopterini. Additionally, all currently available mitochondrial and nuclear sequence data were integrated to reconstruct the most comprehensive molecular phylogeny of Eupholidoptera. Comparative analyses revealed that mitogenome organization is highly conserved across Pholidopterini, with genome size variation largely due to differences in the lengths of the control region and intergenic spacers. Gene order, nucleotide composition, codon usage, and patterns of overlapping regions were highly conserved, conforming to the ancestral insect mitogenome organization. In contrast, E. prasina possessed a unique 704-bp intergenic spacer between atp8 and atp6, replacing the highly conserved seven bp overlap typical of Orthoptera primarily from tandem-repeat amplification. The multilocus phylogeny supported the monophyly of Eupholidoptera but not that of the currently recognized species groups and subgroups, while relationships among several major lineages remained poorly resolved. These offer new insights into mitogenome evolution within the tribe and establish a preliminary molecular framework for future studies of Eupholidoptera.

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How to Cite

Uluar, O. (2026) Mitogenomics and multilocus phylogeny of Eupholidoptera Maran, 1953 (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Pholidopterini). Zootaxa, 5866 (2), 289–304. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5866.2.5