Evolutionary Biology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
PLoS One. 2010 Mar 29;5(3):e9933. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0009933.
The small ermine moth genus Yponomeuta (Lepidoptera, Yponomeutidae) contains 76 species that are specialist feeders on hosts from Celastraceae, Rosaceae, Salicaceae, and several other plant families. The genus is a model for studies in the evolution of phytophagous insects and their host-plant associations. Here, we reconstruct the phylogeny to provide a solid framework for these studies, and to obtain insight into the history of host-plant use and the biogeography of the genus.
METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: DNA sequences from an internal transcribed spacer region (ITS-1) and from the 16S rDNA (16S) and cytochrome oxidase (COII) mitochondrial genes were collected from 20-23 (depending on gene) species and two outgroup taxa to reconstruct the phylogeny of the Palaearctic members of this genus. Sequences were analysed using three different phylogenetic methods (parsimony, likelihood, and Bayesian inference).
CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Roughly the same patterns are retrieved irrespective of the method used, and they are similar among the three genes. Monophyly is well supported for a clade consisting of the Japanese (but not the Dutch) population of Yponomeuta sedellus and Y. yanagawanus, a Y. kanaiellus-polystictus clade, and a Rosaceae-feeding, western Palaearctic clade (Y. cagnagellus-irrorellus clade). Within these clades, relationships are less well supported, and the patterns between the different gene trees are not so similar. The position of the remaining taxa is also variable among the gene trees and rather weakly supported. The phylogenetic information was used to elucidate patterns of biogeography and resource use. In the Palaearctic, the genus most likely originated in the Far East, feeding on Celastraceae, dispersing to the West concomitant with a shift to Rosaceae and further to Salicaceae. The association of Y. cagnagellus with Euonymus europaeus (Celastraceae), however, is a reversal. The only oligophagous species, Y. padellus, belongs to the derived western Palaearctic clade, evidence that specialisation is reversible.
小型豹纹蛾属 Yponomeuta（鳞翅目，豹纹蛾科）包含 76 种物种，它们是卫矛科、蔷薇科、杨柳科和其他几个植物科的专性食草动物。该属是研究植食性昆虫及其与寄主植物的关系进化的模式生物。在这里，我们重建了系统发育关系，为这些研究提供了一个坚实的框架，并深入了解了寄主植物利用和属生物地理学的历史。
方法/主要发现：从内部转录间隔区（ITS-1）和 16S rDNA（16S）以及细胞色素氧化酶（COII）线粒体基因中收集了来自 20-23 种（取决于基因）物种和两个外群类群的 DNA 序列，以重建该属古北界成员的系统发育关系。使用三种不同的系统发育方法（简约法、似然法和贝叶斯推断）对序列进行了分析。
结论/意义：使用不同的方法得到的模式大致相同，并且在三个基因中也相似。由日本（但不是荷兰）的 Yponomeuta sedellus 和 Y. yanagawanus 种群、Y. kanaiellus-polystictus 进化枝以及以蔷薇科为食的西部古北界进化枝（Y. cagnagellus-irrorellus 进化枝）组成的进化枝具有很好的单系性。在这些进化枝内，关系的支持度较低，不同基因树之间的模式也不太相似。其余分类群的位置在基因树之间也存在差异，并且支持度较弱。系统发育信息被用来阐明生物地理学和资源利用的模式。在古北界，该属最有可能起源于远东地区，以卫矛科为食，与蔷薇科一起向西扩散，并进一步扩散到杨柳科。然而，Y. cagnagellus 与卫矛科的 Euonymus europaeus 的结合是一种逆转。唯一的寡食性物种 Y. padellus 属于衍生的西部古北界进化枝，这表明特化是可以逆转的。
