Four New Species of Macquartia (Diptera: Oestroidea) from China and Phylogenetic Implications of Tachinidae †

SIMPLE SUMMARY: The subfamily Tachininae comprises over 2700 species on Earth, making it the second largest group of Tachinidae, some of which have the potential to be used in the biocontrol of agricultural and forest pests. This subfamily shows the largest morphological variance, which is reflected by their great diversity in terms of ecology and host preferences. Macquartia belongs to Diptera, Tachinidae, and Tachininae, among which there are 12 recorded species. Whilst previous research on Macquartia has focused on the description of species morphology, a few studies have explored the phylogenetic relationships, but with a restricted number of species and several DNA fragments, which are insufficient to study the phylogeny of a genus, especially in order to understand the evolution of ecological traits in Tachinidae. To provide further insight into the relationships of Macquartia, the complete mitochondrial genomes of M. brunneisquama sp. nov., M. chinensis sp. nov., M. flavifemorata sp. nov., and M. flavipedicel sp. nov. were sequenced and compared in this study. The mitogenomes of these four Macquartia species were discovered to be highly conserved. Phylogenetic analyses, based on the mitogenome data of 19 species of Tachinidae and outgroups, supported the monophyly of Macquartia and generated basic data for the phylogenetic study of the Tachinidae. ABSTRACT: Macquartia Robineau-Desvoidy (Diptera: Tachinidae, Tachininae) represents one of the most ancient evolutionary lineages of tachinids, parasitizing Chrysomelidae larvae. We found four new Macquartia species collected by malaise traps, namely M. brunneisquama sp. nov., M. chinensis sp. nov., M. flavifemorata sp. nov., and M. flavipedicel sp. nov. These new species are described and illustrated, and their comparison with congeners as well as an identification key to the 12 species of Macquartia from China known to date are included. To determine the significance of the mitogenome architecture and evolution across different tachinid lineages of this primitive taxonomic group, four complete mitochondrial genomes were sequenced, annotated, and analyzed. The gene arrangements are consistent with the ancestral insect mitogenomes. The full-length sequences and protein-coding genes (PCGs) of the mitogenomes of the four species are all AT-biased. Analyses of Ka/Ks and overall p-genetic distance demonstrated that nad5 showed the highest evolutionary rate and nad1/nad4L were the most conserved genes among the four species. Phylogenetic reconstruction based on 13 PCGs strongly supported the monophyly of Macquartia, and the relationships of the four species are (M. flavifemorata + (M. flavipedicel + (M. brunneisquama + M. chinensis))). This study will help enhance our understanding of the taxonomic status and phylogenetic relationships in Tachinidae.