A new molecular phylogeny for the Tanypodinae (Diptera: Chironomidae) places the Australian diversity in a global context

Matt N Krosch; Fabio L Silva; Torbjørn Ekrem; Andrew M Baker; Litticia M Bryant; Elisabeth Stur; Peter S Cranston

doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2021.107324

A new molecular phylogeny for the Tanypodinae (Diptera: Chironomidae) places the Australian diversity in a global context

Mol Phylogenet Evol. 2022 Jan:166:107324. doi: 10.1016/j.ympev.2021.107324. Epub 2021 Oct 8.

Authors

Matt N Krosch¹, Fabio L Silva², Torbjørn Ekrem³, Andrew M Baker⁴, Litticia M Bryant⁵, Elisabeth Stur³, Peter S Cranston⁶

Affiliations

¹ Forensic Services Group, Queensland Police Service, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia; School of Biology and Environmental Science, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia. Electronic address: krosch.mattn@police.qld.gov.au.
² Department of Zoology, Institute of Biosciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
³ Department of Natural History, NTNU University Museum, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim NO-7491, Norway.
⁴ School of Biology and Environmental Science, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia; Natural Environments Program, Queensland Museum, PO Box 3300, South Brisbane, QLD 4101, Australia.
⁵ School of Biology and Environmental Science, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia.
⁶ Evolution and Ecology, Research School of Biological Sciences, The Australian National University, Canberra ACT 2600, Australia.

PMID: 34628046
DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2021.107324

Abstract

The non-biting midge subfamily Tanypodinae (Diptera: Chironomidae) is species-rich, ecologically diverse, and near-globally distributed. Within the subfamily, aspects of generic and species-level taxonomy remain poorly understood, in particular the validity of assignment of Australian and New Zealand taxa to genera erected for northern hemisphere (Holarctic) fauna. Here, we place the austral diversity within this global context by extensive geographical and taxonomic sampling in concert with a multilocus phylogenetic approach. We incorporated sequence data for mitochondrial COI, and nuclear 28S and CAD, and conducted Bayesian and maximum likelihood phylogenetic inferences and Bayesian divergence time estimation. The resolved phylogeny supported many associations of Australian taxa with their proposed Holarctic congeners, with the exception of Apsectrotanypus Fittkau, and validates several taxa as endemic. Three of four New Zealand sampled taxa had their sister groups in Australia; New Zealand Monopelopia Fittkau was sister to a German congener. This included the first record of Procladius Kieffer from New Zealand. Most nodes connecting austral and Holarctic taxa clustered around the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary (60-80 mya), whereas New Zealand-Australia nodes were generally slightly younger (53-57 mya). Together, these data contribute substantially to our understanding of the taxonomy, systematics and biogeography of the Australian Tanypodinae and more broadly to knowledge of Australia's aquatic insect biodiversity.

Keywords: Barcoding; Biogeography; Diversification; Macropelopiini; Non-biting midges; Pentaneurini.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Australia
Bayes Theorem
Chironomidae* / genetics
Geography
Phylogeny