Evolution of Tenebrionoidea
The Tenebrionoidea is inferred to origin in the early Jurassic
(179.3-208.7 Mya) based on the mtgenomes and fossil calibrations points
in the present study, which is consistent with earlier evolution studies
in Coleoptera based on mitochondrial and nuclear genes (Mckenna et
al. , 2015; Zhang et al. , 2016; Cai et al. , 2022). The
present results suggest that most families subsequently diverged in the
Cretaceous. Angiosperms replaced the previously dominant gymnosperms
during the Cretaceous, and the warm
and humid environment had been produced in Cretaceous, which provided
food and habitat for the families in Tenebrionoidea. The family Ciidae
seems to be earliest derived in these families in the present study,
which is inconsistent with earlier evolution studies (Kergoat et
al. , 2014b). The divergence time of Ciidae is not yet determined due to
only one species to be included. The family Mordellidae and Ripiphoridae
is among the earliest diverged families in the superfamily, Mordellidae
and Ripiphoridae are estimated to originate at 115.7 and 126.6 Mya in
the Cretaceous, which is consistent with the previous evolution study
result based on 95 nuclear protein-coding genes in 373 beetle species
using ML and BI (Zhang et al. , 2018). In the “Meloidae clade”,
the families Meloidae (105 Mya), Anthicidae (123.8 Mya) and Oedemeridae
(100.9 Mya) originated in the Cretaceous, which is consistent with
earlier evolution studies based on mitochondrial and nuclear genes
(Misof et al. , 2014; Kergoatet al. , 2014b). In the “Tenebrionidae clade”, the family
Lagriidae (134.3 Mya) is proposed to be derived in the early Cretaceous,
which is similar with the evolution study based on mitochondrial and
nuclear genes in 404 beetle species (Kergoat et al. , 2014b). The
family Tenebrionidae (128.9 Mya)
is suggested to be derived in the
early Cretaceous, which is consistent with the results of the previous
evolution study based on 4 818 nuclear genes (Mckenna et al. ,
2019).
In the family Lagriidae, the subfamilies Lagriinae (78.6 Mya) and
Statiriinae (97.6 Mya) are
proposed to be derived in the late Cretaceous for the first time. In the
family Tenebrionidae, the present study suggests the origin of
the subfamilies Alleculinae (53.6
Mya) and Stenochiinae (53.3 Mya) in the Paleogene, but is inconsistent
with the results of the earlier evolution study (Kergoat et al. ,
2014b), which be due to differences in the taxa included, fossils
constraints and analysis methods applied. In further research, more
accurate estimates of divergence times are necessary with more precise
fossil records for calibration and more complete sampling.