Abstract

We reported the sequence and characteristics of the complete mitochondrial genome of an ecologically important stingless bee, Lepidotrigona flavibasis (Hymenoptera: Meliponini), that has suffered serious population declines in recent years. A phylogenetic analysis based on complete mitogenomes indicated that L. flavibasis was first clustered with another Lepidotrigona species (L. terminata) and then joined with the other two Melipona (Hymenoptera: Meliponini) stingless bees (M. scutellaris and M. bicolor), forming a single clade of stingless bees. The stingless bee clade has a closer relationship with bumblebees (Bombus) (Hymenoptera: Apidae) than with honeybees (Apis) (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Extremely high gene rearrangements involving tRNAs, rRNAs, D-loop regions, and protein-coding genes were observed in the Lepidotrigona mitogenomes, suggesting an overactive evolutionary status in Lepidotrigona species. These mitogenomic organization variations could provide a good system with which to understand the evolutionary history of Meliponini.

Details

Title
The Complete Mitochondrial Genome of Lepidotrigona flavibasis (Hymenoptera: Meliponini) and High Gene Rearrangement in Lepidotrigona Mitogenomes
Author
Cheng-Ye, Wang 1 ; Zhao, Min 1 ; Shi-Jie, Wang 2 ; Huan-Li, Xu 3 ; Ye-Meng, Yang 4 ; Li-Ning, Liu 3 ; Feng, Ying 1 

 Research Institute of Resource Insects, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Kunming, China 
 Environment and Plant Protection Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou, China 
 Department of Entomology, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China 
 School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China 
Publication year
2021
Publication date
May 2021
Publisher
Oxford University Press
e-ISSN
15362442
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
3170834428
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.