Comparative Mitogenomic Analyses of Hydropsychidae Revealing the Novel Rearrangement of Protein-Coding Gene and tRNA (Trichoptera: Annulipalpia)

Simple Summary The evolution of insect mitochondrial gene rearrangement is a hot topic, and such rearrangements are common in certain insect orders. Gene rearrangement characteristics can also provide effective information for phylogenetic reconstruction. As one of the most diverse families within Annulipalpia, Hydropsychidae Curtis, 1835 is distributed on all continents except Antarctica. Here, we generated 19 novel mitogenomes of hydropsychid species, and found two new mitochondrial gene rearrangements. Coupled with published mitogenomes of Hydropsychidae, we analyzed the main features of the mitogenomes among subfamilies and the possible evolution processes. The rearrangement of protein-coding genes is reported in the Hydropsychidae for the first time, and it can be explained by the tandem duplication/random loss model. Phylogenetic analyses show that the four monophyletic subfamilies (Arctopscychinae, Diplectroninae, Hydropsychinae, Macronematinae) were strongly supported by mitogenomes. Gene rearrangement of the mitochondrial genome of insects, especially the rearrangement of protein-coding genes, has long been a hot topic for entomologists. Although mitochondrial gene rearrangement is common within Annulipalpia, protein-coding gene rearrangement is relatively rare. As the largest family in Annulipalpia, the available mitogenomes from Hydropsychidae Curtis, 1835 are scarce, and thus restrict our interpretation of the mitogenome characteristic. In this study, we obtained 19 novel mitogenomes of Hydropsychidae, of which the mitogenomes of the genus Arctopsyche are published for the first time. Coupled with published hydropsychid mitogenome, we analyzed the nucleotide composition evolutionary rates and gene rearrangements of the mitogenomes among subfamilies. As a result, we found two novel gene rearrangement patterns within Hydropsychidae, including rearrangement of protein-coding genes. Meanwhile, our results consider that the protein-coding gene arrangement of Potamyia can be interpreted by the tandem duplication/random loss (TDRL) model. In addition, the phylogenetic relationships within Hydropsychidae constructed by two strategies (Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood) strongly support the monophyly of Arctopscychinae, Diplectroninae, Hydropsychinae, and Macronematinae. Our study provides new insights into the mechanisms and patterns of mitogenome rearrangements in Hydropsychidae.

Automated summary

This study investigated the characteristics and evolutionary processes of mitochondrial genomes in the Hydropsychidae family of insects. The researchers discovered novel rearrangements of protein-coding genes, providing new insights into the mechanisms and patterns of mitogenome rearrangements in Hydropsychidae. Additionally, phylogenetic analyses strongly supported the monophyly of four subfamilies within Hydropsychidae.