A review of the semipunctata species group within the genus Lilioceris Reitter, 1913 (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae).

A new species group of Lilioceris Reitter, 1913 is proposed and reviewed, the semipunctata group. It includes eleven species: L.atrilateralis Kimoto & Takizawa, 1973, L.consentanea (Lacordaire, 1845), L.dentifemoralis Long, 1988, L.discrepens (Baly, 1879), L.jianfenglingensis Long, 1988, L.latissima (Pic, 1932), L.lianzhouensis Long, 2000a, L.rondoni Kimoto & Gressitt, 1979, L.rufometallica (Pic, 1923), L.semipunctata (Fabricius, 1801), and L.yuae Long, 2000b. Liliocerisdiscrepens and L.rondoni were new records from China. Two synonyms are proposed: Liliocerisxinglongensis Long, 1988, syn. nov. of L.consentanea (Lacordaire, 1845), and Criocerisrufimembris Pic, 1921, syn. nov. of L.semipunctata. An identification key, descriptions, habitus photographs, geographic distributions, host plants and habitats (if available), are provided for these species.

Mitochondrial genome data provide insights into the phylogenetic relationships within Triplophysadalaica (Kessler, 1876) (Cypriniformes, Nemacheilidae).

Due to the detrimental effect of formaldehyde on DNA, ethanol has replaced formalin as the primary preservative for animal specimens. However, short-term formalin fixation of specimens might be applied during field collection. In an increasing number of studies, DNA extraction and sequencing have been successfully conducted from formalin-fixed specimens. Here the DNA from five specimens of Triplophysadalaica (Kessler, 1876) were extracted and performed high-throughput sequencing. Four of the specimens underwent short-term fixation with formalin and were subsequently transferred to ethanol. One was continuously stored in ethanol. No significant difference of DNA quality and amount were observed among these samples. Followed by assembly and annotation, five mitochondrial genomes ranging in length from 16,569 to 16,572 bp were obtained. Additionally, previously published data of other individuals or species were included to perform phylogenetic analyses. In the reconstructed trees, all eight individuals of T.dalaica form a monophyletic group within the Triplophysa branch. The group is divided into three clades: (1) samples from the Yellow River, (2) those from the Yangtze River, and (3) those from the Haihe River, and the Lake Dali Nur. This study sheds initial light on the phylogeographic relationships among different populations of T.dalaica, and will support the research about its evolutionary history in the future.

Leaf-feeding species of the genus Liothrips from China (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripinae).

The 250 species of the second largest genus of Thysanoptera, Liothrips, are known as feeding mainly on green leaves, with many inducing galls or associated with galls. In China, 33 species are recognized including L. brevis sp. n., L. elongatus sp. n., L. longistylus sp. n., L. motuoensis sp. n., L. piceae sp. n., L. populi sp. n. and L. tibetanus sp. n., also seven species are recorded from this country for the first time. Four Hans Liothrips species are considered as new synonymies of L. vaneeckei that might be widespread in the Holarctic region. Three species are newly combined as Liothrips aporosae comb.n., Teuchothrips fuscus comb.n. and T. turkestanicus comb.n. The illustrated identification key to Chinese Liothrips species excludes L. hsuae but includes L. mirabilis due to its potential as a pest of Piper plants are growing throughout Southern China. Biology, structural variation, and generic relationships are also discussed.

Characteristics and Comparative Analysis of Mitochondrial Genomes of the Aphid Genus Hyalopterus Koch (Hemiptera: Aphididae: Aphidinae).

Using Illumina sequencing technology, we generated complete mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) of three constituent species of the aphid genus Hyalopterus Koch, Hyalopterus amygdali (Blanchard), Hyalopterus arundiniformis Ghulamullah, and Hyalopterus pruni (Geoffroy). The sizes of the Hyalopterus mitogenomes range from 15,306 to 15,410 bp, primarily due to variations in the length of non-coding regions. The Hyalopterus mitogenomes consist of 37 coding genes arranged in the order of the ancestral insect mitogenome, a control region, and a repeat region between trnE and trnF. According to the COI-based analysis, one previously reported mitogenome of H. pruni should be assigned to H. arundiniformis. The gene order, nucleotide composition, and codon usage in the Hyalopterus mitogenomes are highly conserved and similar to those of other species of Aphidinae. The tandem repeat units differ in nucleotide composition, length, and copy number across three Hyalopterus species. Within the widespread Eurasian species H. arundiniformis, variation in repeat units among different geographic populations is observed, indicating that the repeat region may provide valuable insights for studying the intraspecific diversification of aphids. Phylogenetic analyses based on 28 complete mitogenomes of Aphidinae supported the monophyly of Aphidinae, Aphidini, Macrosiphini, and two subtribes of Aphidini. Hyalopterus was monophyletic. H. amygdali and H. pruni formed a sister group, while H. arundiniformis was placed basally. Characterization of the mitogenomes of Hyalopterus provides valuable resources for further comparative studies and for advancing our understanding of the aphid mitogenome architecture.

Two chromosome-level genome assemblies of galling aphids Slavum lentiscoides and Chaetogeoica ovagalla.

Slavum lentiscoides and Chaetogeoica ovagalla are two aphid species from the subtribe Fordina of Fordini within the subfamily Eriosomatinae, and they produce galls on their primary host plants Pistacia. We assembled chromosome-level genomes of these two species using Nanopore long-read sequencing and Hi-C technology. A 332 Mb genome assembly of S. lentiscoides with a scaffold N50 of 19.77 Mb, including 11,747 genes, and a 289 Mb genome assembly of C. ovagalla with a scaffold N50 of 11.85 Mb, containing 14,492 genes, were obtained. The Benchmarking Universal Single-Copy Orthologs (BUSCO) benchmark of the two genome assemblies reached 93.7% (91.9% single-copy) and 97.0% (95.3% single-copy), respectively. The high-quality genome assemblies in our study provide valuable resources for future genomic research of galling aphids.

Geographical patterns and determinants of insect biodiversity in China.

Insects play important roles in the maintenance of ecosystem functioning and the provision of livelihoods for millions of people. However, compared with terrestrial vertebrates and angiosperms, such as the giant panda, crested ibis, and the metasequoia, insect conservation has not attracted enough attention, and a basic understanding of the geographical biodiversity patterns for major components of insects in China is lacking. Herein, we investigated the geographical distribution of insect biodiversity across multiple dimensions (taxonomic, genetic, and phylogenetic diversity) based on the spatial distribution and molecular DNA sequencing data of insects. Our analysis included 18 orders, 360 families, 5,275 genera, and 14,115 species of insects. The results revealed that Southwestern and Southeastern China harbored higher insect biodiversity and numerous older lineages, representing a museum, whereas regions located in Northwestern China harbored lower insect biodiversity and younger lineages, serving as an evolutionary cradle. We also observed that mean annual temperature and precipitation had significantly positive effects, whereas altitude had significantly negative effects on insect biodiversity in most cases. Moreover, cultivated vegetation harbored the highest insect taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity, and needleleaf and broadleaf mixed forests harbored the highest insect genetic diversity. These results indicated that human activities may positively contribute to insect spatial diversity on a regional scale. Our study fills a knowledge gap in insect spatial diversity in China. These findings could help guide national-level conservation plans and the post-2020 biodiversity conservation framework.

Low-input PacBio sequencing generates high-quality individual fly genomes and characterizes mutational processes.

Long-read sequencing, exemplified by PacBio, revolutionizes genomics, overcoming challenges like repetitive sequences. However, the high DNA requirement ( > 1 µg) is prohibitive for small organisms. We develop a low-input (100 ng), low-cost, and amplification-free library-generation method for PacBio sequencing (LILAP) using Tn5-based tagmentation and DNA circularization within one tube. We test LILAP with two Drosophila melanogaster individuals, and generate near-complete genomes, surpassing preexisting single-fly genomes. By analyzing variations in these two genomes, we characterize mutational processes: complex transpositions (transposon insertions together with extra duplications and/or deletions) prefer regions characterized by non-B DNA structures, and gene conversion of transposons occurs on both DNA and RNA levels. Concurrently, we generate two complete assemblies for the endosymbiotic bacterium Wolbachia in these flies and similarly detect transposon conversion. Thus, LILAP promises a broad PacBio sequencing adoption for not only mutational studies of flies and their symbionts but also explorations of other small organisms or precious samples.

Bacterial Symbiont Mediates Aphid Antiviral Systems to Inhibit the Propagation of a New Pathogenic Densovirus in Chinese Wheat Aphid, Sitobion miscanthi.

Sitobion miscanthi L-type symbiont (SMLS) is a bacterial symbiont commonly found in the wheat aphid S. miscanthi. A new aphid densovirus, S. miscanthi densovirus (SmDV), was recently identified in S. miscanthi. In this study, the similar cellular tropism of SmDV and SMLS in aphid embryos was uncovered using in situ hybridization. SmDV infection significantly decreased the longevity and number of S. miscanthi offspring. However, the SmDV titers were significantly suppressed after SMLS transmission, thus reducing the negative effects of SmDV infection on S. miscanthi fitness. Moreover, an integrative analysis of RNA-seq datasets showed that SMLS inhibited the expression of genes related to the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (Pl3K)/Akt pathways and further induced the expression of antiviral factors associated with the apoptosis and FoxO signaling pathways. These results indicate that SMLS mediates host antiviral defenses to inhibit the propagation of SmDV, which was further verified by an RNA interference assay.

The Oriental fungus-feeding genus Azaleothrips Ananthakrishnan, 1964 from China with one new species and four new records (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripidae, Phlaeothripinae).

Azaleothrips, a genus of fungus-feeding Phlaeothripinae , is easily recognized by the complex sculpture on the body surface. It is species-rich in the Oriental region, with 10 species here recognized from China, including A.sphaericussp. nov. and four new records. An illustrated key to the species from China is provided.

First record of the aphid genus Neonipponaphis Takahashi (Hemiptera, Aphididae, Hormaphidinae) from China, with a description of one new species.

The aphid genus Neonipponaphis Takahashi is reviewed and reported in China for the first time, with a description of one new species, Neonipponaphis pustulosis sp. n. on Castanopsis eyrei from Fujian. A key to species, morphological descriptions, features, host plants, and distributions are provided. Holotype and paratypes are deposited in the National Zoological Museum of China, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.