The first two complete mitochondrial genomes for the genus Neotrichoporoides (Hymenoptera, Eulophidae) and their phylogenetic analysis
TL;DR
This study sequenced and comparatively analyzed the mitochondrial genomes of two Neotrichoporoides species, and analyzed mitochondrial gene rearrangements across 17 species from Encyrtidae, Eulophidae and Pteromalidae and summarized family-specific rearrangement characteristics.
Abstract
Abstract Neotrichoporoides belongs to the family Eulophidae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea). As a group of parasitic wasps, it plays an indispensable role in the biological control of agricultural and forest pests and in maintaining ecosystem balance. To date, only nine complete mitochondrial genomes of Eulophidae have been sequenced worldwide, including the two newly sequenced species in this study. To enrich our understanding of the mitochondrial genomic diversity of Eulophidae and to provide preliminary insights into its phylogenetic relationships, we sequenced and comparatively analyzed the mitochondrial genomes of two Neotrichoporoides species. The mitogenomes of N. nyemitawus (GenBank: PZ188956; 15,164 bp) and N. viridimaculatus (GenBank: PX794932; 15,297 bp) contain 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNAs (tRNAs), two ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs), and one control region (CR), and exhibit a strong AT bias, with AT contents of 85.5% and 85.0%, respectively. We further analyzed mitochondrial gene rearrangements across 17 species from Encyrtidae, Eulophidae and Pteromalidae and summarized family-specific rearrangement characteristics. tRNA rearrangements were detected in all three families. Eulophidae harbors conserved PCGs, while the inverse transposition of trnA and transposition of trnV are likely reported for the first time within this family. The two Neotrichoporoides species differ only in the arrangement of several tRNAs. Comparative analysis of PCGs revealed differences in molecular evolutionary rates among genes, with ATP8, ND2 and ND4 evolving faster than the others. Phylogenetic analysis based on mitochondrial genome sequences showed that species from two subfamilies formed a monophyletic group, and congeneric species clustered into a single clade. This study contributes to resolving phylogenetic relationships within Eulophidae and further deepens our understanding of this family.