A molecular phylogeny of the checkered beetles and a description of Epiclininae a new subfamily (Coleoptera: Cleroidea: Cleridae)

Abstract

We provide the first molecular phylogeny of the clerid lineage (Coleoptera: Cleridae, Thanerocleridae) within the superfamily Cleroidea to examine the two most recently proposed hypotheses of higher level classification. Phylogenetic relationships of checkered beetles were inferred from approximately ∼5000 nt of both nuclear and mitochondrial rDNA (28S, 16S and 12S) and the mitochondrial protein‐coding gene COI. A worldwide sample of ∼70 genera representing almost a quarter of generic diversity of the clerid lineage was included and phylogenies were reconstructed using Bayesian and Maximum Likelihood approaches. Results support the monophyly of many proposed subfamilies but were not entirely congruent with either current classification system. The subfamilial relationships within the Cleridae are resolved with support for three main lineages. Tillinae are supported as the sister group to all other subfamilies within the Cleridae, whereas Thaneroclerinae, Korynetinae and a new subfamily formally described here, Epiclininae subf.n., form a sister group to Clerinae + Hydnocerinae.

Phylogeny and classification of Cucujoidea and the recognition of a new superfamily Coccinelloidea (Coleoptera: Cucujiformia)

“…4), indicating that this family is not monophyletic and is in critical need of a thorough phylogenetic revision. Other internal cleroid relationships recovered in the present study, including Prionoceridae recovered as the sister group to Melyridae (including Dasytes Paykull) and the melyrid lineage closely allied to Cleridae, are consistent with the results of Gunter et al (2013).…”

“…; >19 000 species), Chrysomeloidea (leaf beetles, longhorn beetles, etc. ; >50 000 species) and Curculionoidea (weevils; >60 000 species) (Young, 2002;Hunt et al, 2007;Oberprieler et al, 2007;Gunter et al, 2013Gunter et al, , 2014. Of the six cucujiform superfamilies, Cucujoidea is the most problematic with regard to classification and no synapomorphies supporting its monophyly have been identified (Leschen et al, 2005;Leschen &Ślipiński, 2010).…”

Trogossitidae: A review of the beetle family, with a catalogue and keys

“…The second analysis resulted in 48 most parsimonious trees of which 16 supported a sister relationship between the lophocaterins and Trogossitinae but 32 trees supported a relationship with Peltinae. Further, molecular analyses published by Hunt et al (2007), Bocáková et al (2011) and Gunter et al (2013) show closer relationships between a number of representatives of Peltinae and the lophocaterins than the latter and Trogossitinae. We may therefore consider the sister relationship Lophocaterinae-Peltinae more probable than Lophocaterinae-Trogossitinae.…”

A taxonomic revision of the subfamily Tillinae Leach sensu lato (Coleoptera, Cleridae) in the New World

“…6A–B). The current classification of Cleridae divides the group in 13 subfamilies (Kolibáč 1997, Opitz 2010, Gunter et al 2013), with Tillinae the second largest after Clerinae, with approximately 700 described species in 70 genera (Corporaal 1950, Barr 1975, Gerstmeier 2014, Opitz 2010, Burke and Zolnerowich 2016). In the New World, Tillinae is distributed from southern Canada to central South America, including the West Indies (Fig.…”