Phylogenetic insights based on the mitochondrial genome of the predatory insect Scolothrips takahashii (Thysanoptera: Thripidae)

Scolothrips takahashii Priesner 1950 is recognized as an important natural enemy of leaf mites due to its predatory preference. To elucidate the structural characteristics of the mitochondrial genome of S. takahashii and to further refine the phylogenetic classification of Thripidae insects, the mitochondrial genome of S. takahashii was sequenced, annotated, and analyzed using next-generation sequencing (NGS). The complete mitochondrial genome of S. takahashii is 14,998 bp in length, with an A+T content of 76.62%. It contains a total of 37 genes, including 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNAs (tRNAs), and 2 ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs). Phylogenetic trees were constructed using Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood methods, based on the 13 PCGs and 2 rRNAs of mitochondrial genomes. Phylogenomic reconstruction placed S. takahashii as a sister clade to Frankliniella within Thripidae, despite lacking clear morphological synapomorphies with this genus. Further phylogenetic analysis within closely related Scolothrips species need more mitochondrial data.