Organization and comparative analysis of the mitochondrial genomes of bioluminescent Elateroidea (Coleoptera: Polyphaga)

Mitochondrial genome organization in the Elateroidea superfamily (Coleoptera), which include the main families of bioluminescent beetles, has been poorly studied and lacking information about Phengodidae family. We sequenced the mitochondrial genomes of Neotropical Lampyridae (Bicellonycha lividipennis), Phengodidae (Brasilocerus sp.2 and Phrixothrix hirtus) and Elateridae (Pyrearinus termitilluminans, Hapsodrilus ignifer and Teslasena femoralis). All species had a typical insect mitochondrial genome except for the following: in the elaterid T. femoralis genome there is a non-coding region between NADH2 and tRNA-Trp; in the phengodids Brasilocerus sp.2 and P. hirtus genomes we did not find the tRNA-Ile and tRNA-Gln. The P. hirtus genome showed a similar to 1.6 kb non-coding region, the rearrangement of tRNA-Tyr, a new tRNA-Leu copy, and several regions with higher AT contents. Phylogenetics analysis using Bayesian and ML models indicated that the Phengodidae + Rhagophthalmidae are closely related to Lampyridae family, and included Drilus flavescens (Drilidae) as an internal Glade within Elateridae. This is the first report that compares the mitochondria] genomes organization of the three main families of bioluminescent Elateroidea, including the first Neotropical Lampyridae and Phengodidae. The losses of tRNAs, and translocation and duplication events found in Phengodidae mt genomes, mainly in P. hirtus, may indicate different evolutionary rates in these mitochondrial genomes. The mitophylogenomics analysis indicates the monophyly of the three bioluminescent families and a closer relationship between Lampyridae and Phengodidae/Rhagophthalmidae, in contrast with previous molecular analysis. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V.