Data from: Peptidomics-based phylogeny and biogeography of Mantophasmatodea (Hexapoda)

The insect order Mantophasmatodea was described in 2002. Prior to that time, several generations of entomologists had assumed that all major insect taxa were known; thus, its description was a sensation for zoologists. Since then, a surprising abundance and species diversity of this taxon have been found, particularly in the winter rainfall region of South Africa. To learn more about the evolutionary lineages, speciation, and biogeography of Mantophasmatodea, we applied an unusual peptidomics approach. We collected specimens of almost all known and novel taxa of these insects, developed methods for immediate sample preparation in the field, introduced peptide mass fingerprints for the unambiguous identification of taxa, and subsequently analyzed the most extensive dataset on peptide hormones ever compiled for insect taxa. To account for intraspecific variation, we analyzed several individuals per putative species. Increased taxon sampling was preferred over a further increase in the number of characters to optimize the accuracy of phylogenetic analyses. The large dataset made it possible to test the validity of using neuropeptide sequences, which co-evolve with their respective receptors, to analyze phylogenetic relationships among closely related taxa. Altogether, the data from 71 populations of Mantophasmatodea were sufficient to clearly separate the major clades of Mantophasmatodea, including previously undescribed taxa such as Pachyphasma, Striatophasma, and Austrophasmatidae gen. et sp. nov. ‘RV’. The data confirm the monophyly of Austrophasmatidae and show a relatively recent and extensive radiation in the winter rainfall region of South Africa but also suggest that the species-level diversification of Namibian Mantophasma is less marked than previously thought. We discuss the biogeographical and ecological factors that may have resulted in different regional patterns of endemism and species diversity in Mantophasmatodea. The unique development of the neuroendocrine capa-neurons in the ventral nervous system is described as synapomorphy of Mantophasmatodea + Grylloblattodea and is a further argument for a close relationship between these insect taxa.

螳䗛目（Mantophasmatodea）于2002年被正式描述。在此之前，数代昆虫学家均认为所有主要昆虫类群均已被学界认知，因此该类群的发表曾令动物学界轰动一时。自该类群被描述以来，研究人员已在南非冬雨气候区发现了数量惊人的该类群个体与物种多样性。为深入探究螳䗛目的演化谱系、物种形成与生物地理学特征，本研究采用了一种非常规的肽组学（peptidomics）研究方法。研究团队采集了该类群几乎所有已知与新发现类群的标本，开发了野外即时样品制备技术，引入肽质量指纹图谱（peptide mass fingerprints）用于类群的明确鉴定，并最终分析了目前为止针对昆虫类群所汇编的最庞大的肽激素数据集。为纳入种内变异的影响，本研究针对每个推测物种均分析了多个个体样本。为优化系统发育分析的准确性，研究团队优先选择增加类群采样量，而非单纯增加特征数量。本研究所用的庞大数据集得以验证：与相应受体共演化的神经肽（neuropeptide）序列，可用于分析近缘类群间的系统发育关系。综合来看，来自71个螳䗛目种群的数据足以清晰区分螳䗛目的主要演化支，包括此前未被描述的类群，如厚螳䗛属（Pachyphasma）、纹螳䗛属（Striatophasma）以及澳螳䗛科新属新种‘RV’（gen. et sp. nov.）。本研究数据证实了澳螳䗛科的单系性（monophyly），同时表明该类群在南非冬雨气候区发生了相对近期且广泛的适应性辐射；此外还发现，纳米比亚螳䗛属（Mantophasma）的物种水平分化程度低于此前的推测。本研究还探讨了可能导致螳䗛目在不同区域呈现出特有性与物种多样性差异的生物地理与生态因子。腹神经系统中神经内分泌capa神经元的独特发育模式，被认定为螳䗛目与蛩蠊目（Grylloblattodea）的共有衍征（synapomorphy），进一步支持了这两类昆虫间存在密切演化关系的观点。