Comparative Mitogenomic and Phylogenetic Insights of Three Aulacophora Species (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) Associated with Cucurbit Crops

Liu, Liancheng; Li, Huanhuan; Lin, Gonghua; Su, Tianjuan; Zhao, Fang; He, Bo; Huang, Zuhao

doi:10.3390/life16081231

Open AccessArticle

Comparative Mitogenomic and Phylogenetic Insights of Three Aulacophora Species (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) Associated with Cucurbit Crops

by

Liancheng Liu

,

Huanhuan Li

,

Gonghua Lin

,

Tianjuan Su

,

Fang Zhao

,

Bo He

^* and

Zuhao Huang

^*

Key Laboratory of Jiangxi Province for Biological Invasion and Biosecurity, School of Life Sciences, Jinggangshan University, Ji’an 343009, China

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Life 2026, 16(8), 1231; https://doi.org/10.3390/life16081231

Submission received: 25 May 2026 / Revised: 22 July 2026 / Accepted: 23 July 2026 / Published: 25 July 2026

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insect Taxonomy in the Era of Mitogenomics)

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Abstract

This study sequenced and comparatively analyzed the mitochondrial genomes of three agriculturally important Aulacophora pests: the polyphagous A. indica, the oligophagous A. lewisii, and the early-diverging A. nigripennis. All three mitogenomes contained the typical 37 genes with conserved gene order. However, total length varied substantially (15,258–18,766 bp), driven primarily by control region length variation. All species exhibited pronounced AT bias, and relative synonymous codon usage analysis revealed marked interspecific divergence. Phylogenetic analysis based on 13 protein-coding genes resolved A. nigripennis as the basal lineage and A. lewisii and A. indica as closely related sister species. Both widespread species displayed maximum haplotype diversity (Hd = 1.000); however, A. indica exhibited approximately 2.4-fold higher nucleotide diversity (Pi = 0.00478) than A. lewisii (Pi = 0.00198), indicating differential population genetic architectures between the two species. These findings established a comparative mitogenomic framework for Aulacophora and provide baseline data for future phylogenomic and phylogeographic investigations.

Keywords: Aulacophora; mitochondrial genome; comparative genomics; genetic diversity; phylogeny

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MDPI and ACS Style

Liu, L.; Li, H.; Lin, G.; Su, T.; Zhao, F.; He, B.; Huang, Z. Comparative Mitogenomic and Phylogenetic Insights of Three Aulacophora Species (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) Associated with Cucurbit Crops. Life 2026, 16, 1231. https://doi.org/10.3390/life16081231

AMA Style

Liu L, Li H, Lin G, Su T, Zhao F, He B, Huang Z. Comparative Mitogenomic and Phylogenetic Insights of Three Aulacophora Species (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) Associated with Cucurbit Crops. Life. 2026; 16(8):1231. https://doi.org/10.3390/life16081231

Chicago/Turabian Style

Liu, Liancheng, Huanhuan Li, Gonghua Lin, Tianjuan Su, Fang Zhao, Bo He, and Zuhao Huang. 2026. "Comparative Mitogenomic and Phylogenetic Insights of Three Aulacophora Species (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) Associated with Cucurbit Crops" Life 16, no. 8: 1231. https://doi.org/10.3390/life16081231

APA Style

Liu, L., Li, H., Lin, G., Su, T., Zhao, F., He, B., & Huang, Z. (2026). Comparative Mitogenomic and Phylogenetic Insights of Three Aulacophora Species (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) Associated with Cucurbit Crops. Life, 16(8), 1231. https://doi.org/10.3390/life16081231

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Comparative Mitogenomic and Phylogenetic Insights of Three Aulacophora Species (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) Associated with Cucurbit Crops

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