Phylogenomic insights into the tribal-level phylogeny of Typhlocybinae

Typhlocybinae is one of the most diverse groups of leafhoppers,
constituting an important component of phytophagous insect diversity. The
traditional tribal-level phylogenetic relationships within this subfamily
remain contentious, with differing hypotheses implying distinct
evolutionary histories. This study contributes to resolving these
controversies using phylogenomics. We newly sequenced low-coverage whole
genomes for 54 species spanning the six classic tribes of Typhlocybinae.
From these data, we extracted thousands of universal single-copy orthologs
(USCOs) and ultraconserved elements (UCEs). Robust tribal-level
phylogenies were reconstructed using multiple dataset matrices (USCO50,
USCO70, USCO90, USCO_fna, ClipKIT_USCO70, UCE_fna) and tree-building
strategies, including partitioned maximum likelihood with homogeneous
models, unpartitioned heterogeneous mixture models, and the multi-species
coalescent model. A particular focus was placed on elucidating the complex
taxonomic status between Zyginellini and Typhlocybini, integrating
molecular results with morphological evidence. Our findings indicate that
the choice of molecular marker type and modeling methods can influence the
inferred tribal-level relationships. Data filtering improves tribal-level
support. The final analyses reveal that Zyginellini is not monophyletic
but is intermixed with Typhlocybini, although some Zyginellini lineages
appear to have originated earlier than the Old World Typhlocybini. The
other four tribes of Typhlocybinae are all monophyletic. The tribal-level
phylogenetic relationship is: ((Zyginellini_Typhlocybini) + (Dikraneurini
+ Erythroneurini)) + (Alebrini + Empoascini). Furthermore, integrating
wing venation morphology with previous molecular evidence, we propose the
Eualebrina subtribe nov. of Typhlocybini (sensu lato). This study provides
unprecedented genomic-scale data for Typhlocybinae and offers a framework
to address similar phylogenetic challenges in other organisms.