Mitochondrial DNA phylogenetic analysis of Myrmecolacidae (Insecta: Strepsiptera) va

Abstract

The relationship between Caenocholax fenyesi Pierce (Myrmecolacidae) males (host: Solenopsis invicta) and females (host: Hapithus agitator) is examined. Further, the relationships between several unidentified myrmecolacid females from Papua New Guinea are determined. Methods were developed for extraction, amplification, and sequencing of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from Strepsiptera. High-resolution mtDNA sequences obtained by these methods were used in the phylogenetic analysis of Myrmecolacidae. Phylogenetic Analysis Using Parsimony (PAUP) was employed in the analysis of myrmecolacid family structure using segments of the mitochondrial genes Cytochrome Oxidase Subunit I (COI, 284 bases) and 12S rRNA (12S, 272 bases). Analysis of the COI region showed 30% variation between the C. fenyesi male and putative female, 0.7% variation between two unknown myrmecolacid from West New Britain (WNB-A and WNB-B), and 20% variation between the WNB unknown species and an unknown myrmecolacid species from Popondetta (POP). Elenchus japonicus (Strepsiptera: Elenchidae) was used as an outgroup to generate a phylogenetic tree of the COI region. Analysis of the 12S region showed 37% variation between the C. fenyesi male and putative female, 0.3% variation between WNB-A and WNB-B, and 19% variation between a WNB-A/B and a third unknown species from West New Britain (WNB-C). Stichotrema dallatoraneum (Strepsiptera: Myrmecolacidae) was also included in the 12S analysis for confirmation of a monophyletic myrmecolacid family. The high degree of variation between the C. fenyesi male and putative female sequences indicate these individuals are not the same species. Additionally, this data provides evidence of at least two unidentified species from Papua New Guinea (WNB-A/B, WNB-C, and POP).