Molecular Phylogeny Of The Cavernicolous Trechine Beetles In China(Coleoptera:Carabidae)

The tribe Trechini, one of the groups within the family Carabidae(Coleoptera),is the main group of insects that colonized the subterranean environment. There is not relevant information about molecular phylogeny of the cavernicolous trechine beetles in China, even though 111 species within 44 genera of subterranean trechine had been reported. We provide here a molecular phylogeny of the subterranean Trechini of China based on a combination of mitochondrial(cox1, rrnl+t RNA-Leu+nad1) and nuclear(SSU,LSU) markers of 59 specimens of 47 species within 32 genera or subgenera by using the methods of Maximum Parsimony(MP), Maximum Likehood(ML) and Bayesian Inference(BI).The preliminary results of molecular phylogeny reveal the aggregative relationships among the genera of subterranean trechine beetles from China. And the conclusions are as follows:1. The tribe Trechini of the anophthalmic cave trechine of China is a monophyletic group.2. The genera Luoxiaotrechus, Aspidaphaenops, Sinaphaenops, Pilosaphaenops,Guizhaphaenops and Cathaiaphaenops are monophyletic.3. The genus Dongodytes, ranging in northern Guangxi, is composed of three groups different one another even in generic level. Regarding to the morphological characteristics,three genera might be proposed to reflect the differences: Dongodytes for the species known from Bama, Fengshan and Tian'e counties, Dongodytodes for the species from Dahua and Du'an counties which were formerly put into the subgenus Dongodytodes; and a new genus for the species known from Du'an and Mashan counties which were formerlyput into the nominate subgenus Dongodytes.4. The genus Giraffaphaenops, the most highly modified cave trechine group in China,is a sister of the Dongodytes groups.5. The genus Guizhaphaenops are branched out into two subgenera, Guizhaphaenops and Semiaphaenops which distribution in Guizhou and Yunnan Province respectively, with well support.6. The genus Cathaiaphaenops is allied to the genera Shilinotrechus and Boreaphaenops; The undescribed species discovered in Enshi, western Hubei must be a member of the nominate subgenus Cathaiaphaenops(s. str.) though it is morphologically alike members of the subgenus Amygdalotrechus.7. The genus Wanhuaphaenops in southeastern Hunan is grouped with the genus Luoxiaotrechus in eastern Hunan.8. The genus Toshiaphaenops in northeastern Hunan and western Hubei is grouped with genus Shiqianaphaenops in Shiqian County, eastern Guizhou.9. The genus Shilinotrechus in Shilin County of Yunnan and genus Boreaphaenops in Shennongjia of Hubei are sister groups.