Phylogeny and diversification of planthoppers (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha) based on a comprehensive molecular dataset and large taxon sampling

Our understanding of the evolution of Fulgoromorpha (Insects, Hemiptera) has relied on molecular studies that have only considered either a limited number of taxa where all the families were not represented simultaneously, or a reduced number of genes. The absence of a global analysis comparing all the available data has thus led to significant biases in the analyzes, as evidenced by the incongruence of the results reported for planthopper phylogeny. Here we provide a phylogenetic and dating analysis of the Fulgoromorpha with a large sampling of 531 ingroup taxa, representing about 80% of the currently described suprageneric taxonomic diversity in this group. This study is based on most of the molecular sequences available to date and duly verified, for a set of nuclear and mitochondrial genes from a taxonomic sampling as complete as possible. The most significant results of our study are: (1) the unexpected paraphyly of Delphacidae whose Protodelphacida seem more related to Cixiidae than to other Delphacidae; (2) the group Meenoplidae-Kinnaridae recovered sister to the remaining Fulgoroidea families; (3) the early branching node of Tettigometridae sister of all the other families; (4) the Achilidae-Derbidae clade with Achilidae Plectoderini including Achilixiidae recovered as monophyletic as well as the Fulgoridae-Dictyopharidae clade; and (5) the Tropiduchidae placed sister to the other so called 'higher' families (sec. Shcherbakov, 2006). Our divergence times analysis, calibrated with a set of duly verified fossils, suggests that the first diversification of planthoppers occurred in the Early Triassic around 240 Mya and those of the superfamilies Delphacoidea and Fulgoroidea in the Middle-Late Triassic around 210 Mya and 230 Mya, respectively. By the end of the Jurassic, all major planthopper lineages were originated, and all families, around 125 Mya, might have been driven in their distribution and evolution (in their first subfamilial divisions) by the geographical constraints of the Gondwanan break-up. Rapid evolutionary radiations occurred particularly in Fulgoridae around 125-130 Mya. Our results stress the importance of the good quality of the sequences used in the molecular analyzes and the primordial importance of a large sampling when analyzing the phylogeny of the group.

Automated summary

This study provides a phylogenetic and dating analysis of Fulgoromorpha, covering 531 taxa and representing 80% of the currently described diversity in this group. The results reveal the unexpected paraphyly of Delphacidae, the sister relationship of Meenoplidae-Kinnaridae with other Fulgoroidea families, and the early branching node of Tettigometridae. Additionally, the study emphasizes the importance of high-quality molecular sequences and large sampling in analyzing the phylogeny of this group.