A molecular phylogeny of the checkered beetles and a description of Epiclininae a new subfamily (Coleoptera: Cleroidea: Cleridae). (29th April 2013)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: GUNTER, NICOLE L.; LEAVENGOOD, JOHN M.; BARTLETT, JUSTIN S.; CHAPMAN, ERIC G.; CAMERON, STEPHEN L.
• Is Part Of: Systematic entomology. Volume 38:Number 3(2013:Jul.)
• Page Start: 626
• Page End: 636
• Publication Date: 2013-04-29
• Subjects: Insects -- Classification -- Periodicals; Entomology -- Periodicals; 595.7012
• DOI: 10.1111/syen.12019
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0307-6970

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main"> <title>Abstract</title> <p>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 (<italic>28S</italic>, <italic>16S</italic> and <italic>12S</italic>) and the mitochondrial protein‐coding gene <italic>COI</italic>. 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 <bold>subf.n</bold>., form a sister group to Clerinae + Hydnocerinae.</p> </abstract>