Across desert and island: Phylogeny of two thin stick insects from China with taxonomic insights into the clade “Gratidiini II” (Phasmatodea, Clitumninae)

By

Gao, Hao-Ran
Wang, Chen
Chen, Wei-Xian
Li, Jia-Jin
Zhang, Hongrui
Li, Ya-Jin

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2025-11-19

Original Publication

ZooKeys

Volume

1260

Pages

149--160

Subjects

Clitumninae , Macellina , Mitogenome , Next-Generation Sequencing , Nuclear genes , Phasmida , Phylogeny , Sceptrophasma

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1260.143038

 

Abstract

<br> Extensive convergence led to poorly understood systematics of stick insects (Phasmatodea) in the past. Both<br> Sceptrophasma bituberculatum<br> and<br> Macellina souchongia<br> belong to the tribe Gratidiini of the family Bacillidae, but they were separated by about 3500 km and inhabit different zoogeographic regions. To further understand the Chinese Phasmatodea, we sequenced the above two species using next-generation sequencing (NGS) and assembled their mitochondrial genomes and standard molecular markers for two phylogenetic analyses. Mitochondrial genome (13 PCGs and 2 rRNAs) phylogeny showed that these two species, originally belonging to the family Bacillidae, were included in the subfamily Clitumninae. Another phylogeny including seven standard molecular markers (four mitochondrial genes: COI, COII, 12S, 16S and three nuclear genes: H3, 18S, 28S), covering more species revealed that:<br> S. bituberculatum<br> is the sister group of<br> Clonaria<br> spp. from Africa; and genus<br> Macellina<br> formed a complex clade with the Oriental<br> Clonaria<br> and<br> Sceptrophasma<br> . Our results corroborate that the family Bacillidae is not monophyletic as currently treated in the Phasmida Species File database and that the genera<br> Clonaria<br> and<br> Sceptrophasma<br> , which span different zoogeographic regions, are not monophyletic and are in need of further revision.<br>