The First Mitochondrial Genomes of the Family Haplodiplatyidae (Insecta: Dermaptera) Reveal Intraspecific Variation and Extensive Gene Rearrangement

Abstract

Haplodiplatyidae is a recently established earwig family with over 40 species representing a single genus, <i>Haplodiplatys</i> Hincks, 1955. The morphology of Haplodiplatyidae has been studied in detail, but its molecular characters remain unclear. In this study, two mitogenomes of <i>Haplodiplatys aotouensis</i> Ma & Chen, 1991, were sequenced based on two samples from Fujian and Jiangxi provinces, respectively. These represent the first mitogenomes for the family Haplodiplatyidae. The next-generation sequencing method and subsequent automatic assembly obtained two mitogenomes. The two mitogenomes of <i>H. aotouensis</i> were generally identical but still exhibit a few sequence differences involving protein-coding genes (PCGs), ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, control regions, and intergenic spacers. The typical set of 37 mitochondrial genes was annotated, while many transfer RNA (tRNA) genes were rearranged from their ancestral locations. The calculation of nonsynonymous (Ka) and synonymous (Ks) substitution rates in PCGs indicated the fastest evolving <i>nd4l</i> gene in <i>H. aotouensis</i>. The phylogenetic analyses supported the basal position of Apachyidae but also recovered several controversial clades.