The evolutionary history of the ancient weevil family Belidae (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea) reveals the marks of Gondwana breakup and major floristic turnovers, including the rise of angiosperms.

The rise of angiosperms to ecological dominance and the breakup of Gondwana during the Mesozoic marked major transitions in the evolutionary history of insect-plant interactions. To elucidate how contemporary trophic interactions were influenced by host plant shifts and palaeogeographical events, we integrated molecular data with information from the fossil record to construct a time tree for ancient phytophagous weevils of the beetle family Belidae. Our analyses indicate that crown-group Belidae originated approximately 138 Ma ago in Gondwana, associated with Pinopsida (conifer) host plants, with larvae likely developing in dead/decaying branches.

Comparative Analysis of the Mitochondrial Genomes of Chloropidae and Their Implications for the Phylogeny of the Family.

Chloropidae, commonly known as grass flies, represent the most taxonomically diverse family of Diptera Carnoidea, comprising over 3000 described species worldwide. Previous phylogenetic studies of this family have predominantly relied on morphological characters, with mitochondrial genomes being reported in a few species. This study presents 11 newly sequenced mitochondrial genomes (10 Chloropidae and 1 Milichiidae) and provides the first comprehensive comparative analysis of mitochondrial genomes for Chloropidae.

High-efficiency reinforcement learning with hybrid architecture photonic integrated circuit.

Reinforcement learning (RL) stands as one of the three fundamental paradigms within machine learning and has made a substantial leap to build general-purpose learning systems. However, using traditional electrical computers to simulate agent-environment interactions in RL models consumes tremendous computing resources, posing a significant challenge to the efficiency of RL. Here, we propose a universal framework that utilizes a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) to simulate the interactions in RL for improving the algorithm efficiency.

The genome of the invasive and broadly polyphagous Diaprepes root weevil, Diaprepes abbreviatus (Coleoptera), reveals an arsenal of putative polysaccharide-degrading enzymes.

The Diaprepes root weevil (DRW), Diaprepes abbreviatus, is a broadly polyphagous invasive pest of agriculture in the southern United States and the Caribbean. Its genome was sequenced, assembled, and annotated to study genomic correlates of specialized plant-feeding and invasiveness and to facilitate the development of new methods for DRW control. The 1.

Large-scale genomic data reveal the phylogeny and evolution of owlet moths (Noctuoidea).

The owlet moths (Noctuoidea; ~43-45K described species) are one of the most ecologically diverse and speciose superfamilies of animals. Moreover, they comprise some of the world's most notorious pests of agriculture and forestry. Despite their contributions to terrestrial biodiversity and impacts on ecosystems and economies, the evolutionary history of Noctuoidea remains unclear because the superfamily lacks a statistically robust phylogenetic and temporal framework.

A global phylogeny of butterflies reveals their evolutionary history, ancestral hosts and biogeographic origins.

Butterflies are a diverse and charismatic insect group that are thought to have evolved with plants and dispersed throughout the world in response to key geological events. However, these hypotheses have not been extensively tested because a comprehensive phylogenetic framework and datasets for butterfly larval hosts and global distributions are lacking. We sequenced 391 genes from nearly 2,300 butterfly species, sampled from 90 countries and 28 specimen collections, to reconstruct a new phylogenomic tree of butterflies representing 92% of all genera.

Evolutionary timescale of chalcidoid wasps inferred from over one hundred mitochondrial genomes.

Chalcidoidea is one of the most biologically diverse groups among Hymenoptera. Members are characterized by extraordinary parasitic lifestyles and extensive host ranges, among which several species attack plants or serve as pollinators. However, higher-level chalcidoid relationships remain controversial.

Phylogeny of the Chinese Subgenera of the Genus (Diptera, Lauxaniidae, Homoneurinae) Based on Morphological Characters.

The genus comprises over 700 described species in eight known subgenera distributed worldwide and has the highest species richness of Lauxaniidae. Five subgenera and more than 200 species have currently been recorded from China. Despite its high diversity, the monophyly of and its subgenera, and the phylogenetic relationships among its subgenera remain to be investigated.

First records of the subfamilies Ecliminae and Lomatiinae (Diptera, Bombyliidae) from China with description of two new species.

Two subfamilies of bee flies, Ecliminae and Lomatiinae, are first reported from China with the description of the following two new species: Lomatia shanguii sp. nov. and Thevenetimyia cingulata sp.

A diversification relay race from Caribbean-Mesoamerica to the Andes: historical biogeography of hawkmoths.

The regions of the Andes and Caribbean-Mesoamerica are both hypothesized to be the cradle for many Neotropical lineages, but few studies have fully investigated the dynamics and interactions between Neotropical bioregions. The New World hawkmoth genus is the most taxonomically diverse genus in the Sphingidae, with the highest endemism and richness in the Andes and Caribbean-Mesoamerica. We integrated phylogenomic and DNA barcode data and generated the first time-calibrated tree for this genus, covering 93.

Phylogeny of gracillariid leaf-mining moths: evolution of larval behaviour inferred from phylogenomic and Sanger data.

Gracillariidae is the most taxonomically diverse cosmopolitan leaf-mining moth family, consisting of nearly 2000 named species in 105 described genera, classified into eight extant subfamilies. The majority of gracillariid species are internal plant feeders as larvae, creating mines and galls in plant tissue. Despite their diversity and ecological adaptations, their phylogenetic relationships, especially among subfamilies, remain uncertain.

First Annotated Genome of a Mandibulate Moth, Neomicropteryx cornuta, Generated Using PacBio HiFi Sequencing.

We provide a new, annotated genome assembly of Neomicropteryx cornuta, a species of the so-called mandibulate archaic moths (Lepidoptera: Micropterigidae). These moths belong to a lineage that is thought to have split from all other Lepidoptera more than 300 Ma and are consequently vital to understanding the early evolution of superorder Amphiesmenoptera, which contains the order Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) and its sister order Trichoptera (caddisflies). Using PacBio HiFi sequencing reads, we assembled a highly contiguous genome with a contig N50 of nearly 17 Mb.

Phylogenomics reveals accelerated late Cretaceous diversification of bee flies (Diptera: Bombyliidae).

Bombyliidae is a very species-rich and widespread family of parasitoid flies with more than 250 genera classified into 17 extant subfamilies. However, little is known about their evolutionary history or how their present-day diversity was shaped. Transcriptomes of 15 species and anchored hybrid enrichment (AHE) sequence captures of 86 species, representing 94 bee fly species and 14 subfamilies, were used to reconstruct the phylogeny of Bombyliidae.

Revision of the Australian bee fly genus Meomyia Evenhuis, 1983, with description of three new species (Bombyliidae, Bombyliinae, Bombyliini).

The endemic Australian bee fly genus Meomyia Evenhuis is revised, including six described species and three newly described: Meomyia hortorum sp. nov., Meomyia kochae sp.

Revision of the Australian bee fly genus Sisyromyia White, 1916 (Bombyliidae, Bombyliinae, Acrophthalmydini).

We review Sisyromyia White (Bombyliidae, Bombyliinae), a remarkable Australian endemic bee fly genus, which includes 11 species, including six species we describe as new here: Sisyromyia albisquama sp. nov., Sisyromyia angustivitta sp.

Sand wasp (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae) parasites emerging from mud wasp nests (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae)-a reliable host record of Thraxan Yeates amp; Lambkin (Diptera: Bombyliidae: Anthracinae) with description of the pupal exuviae of three Thraxan species.

Two female Thraxan sp. (Diptera: Bombyliidae: Anthracinae) emerged from parasitised Pison simillimum Smith (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae) larvae found inside a Sceliphron formosum Smith (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae) mud wasps nest. Thraxan sp.

One hundred years of solitude ended: A second species of Marmasoma White, 1916 (Diptera, Bombyliidae, Bombyliinae, Eclimini) from Australia.

Known as a monotypic genus for over a century, Marmasoma White, 1916 is an endemic Australian bee fly genus belonging to the tribe Eclimini of the subfamily Bombyliinae. A new species: Marmasoma hortorum sp. nov.

Revision of the Australian bee fly genus Pilosia Hull, 1973 (Bombyliidae, Bombyliinae) from Western Australia.

A restricted Western Australia bee fly genus Pilosia Hull (Bombyliidae, Bombyliinae) is reviewed with the description of two new species, Pilosia incana Bowden Li sp. nov. and Pilosia flava Li Yeates sp.

Mitochondrial Genomes Provide Insights into the Phylogeny of Lauxanioidea (Diptera: Cyclorrhapha).

The superfamily Lauxanioidea is a significant dipteran clade including over 2500 known species in three families: Lauxaniidae, Celyphidae and Chamaemyiidae. We sequenced the first five (three complete and two partial) lauxanioid mitochondrial (mt) genomes, and used them to reconstruct the phylogeny of this group. The lauxanioid mt genomes are typical of the Diptera, containing all 37 genes usually present in bilaterian animals.

Effect of surfactants on the aggregation and sedimentation of zinc oxide nanomaterial in natural water matrices.

The wide application of surfactants and engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) in industrial and consumer products lead to the high possibility of their co-presence in natural water environment, making it important to study the effect of surfactants on the environmental behavior and fate of ENMs. In this work, we selected an anionic sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and a nonionic nonylphenol ethoxylate (NPEO, Tergitol NP-9) to study their effects on the aggregation and sedimentation of a 20nm ZnO ENM in different water matrices. The adsorption of SDS and NP-9 by ZnO ENM were fitted with Langmuir model, and the maximum adsorption capacities were 43.

The first complete mitochondrial genome of Dacus longicornis (Diptera: Tephritidae) using next-generation sequencing and mitochondrial genome phylogeny of Dacini tribe.

The genus Dacus is one of the most economically important tephritid fruit flies. The first complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of Dacus species - D. longicornis was sequenced by next-generation sequencing in order to develop the mitogenome data for this genus.

Effect of surfactants on the aggregation and stability of TiO nanomaterial in environmental aqueous matrices.

The high likelihood of the coexistence of surfactants and engineered nano-materials (ENMs) in aqueous environments redoubles the need to study the effects of surfactants on the behavior and transport of nano-materials. In this study, we chose anionic sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and nonionic nonylphenol ethoxylate (NPEO, Tergitol NP-9) to study the effect of surfactants on the behaviors of a typical TiO ENM in water environment. An adsorption isotherm and zeta potential study showed that both surfactants could be adsorbed onto the surface of nano-TiO but that only SDS can significantly decrease the zeta potential of TiO.

Comparative Mt Genomics of the Tipuloidea (Diptera: Nematocera: Tipulomorpha) and Its Implications for the Phylogeny of the Tipulomorpha.

A traditionally controversial taxon, the Tipulomorpha has been frequently discussed with respect to both its familial composition and relationships with other Nematocera. The interpretation of internal relationships within the Tipuloidea, which include the Tipulidae sensu stricto, Cylindrotomidae, Pediciidae and Limoniidae, is also problematic. We sequenced the first complete mitochondrial (mt) genome of Symplecta hybrida (Meigen, 1804), which belongs to the subfamily Chioneinae of family Limoniidae, and another five nearly complete mt genomes from the Tipuloidea.

The complete mitochondrial genome of the Atylotus miser (Diptera: Tabanomorpha: Tabanidae), with mitochondrial genome phylogeny of lower Brachycera (Orthorrhapha).

Brachycera is a clade with over 80,000 described species and originated from the Mesozoic, and its larvae employ comprehensive feeding strategies. The phylogeny of the lower Brachycera has been studied intensively over the past decades. In order to supplement the lack of genetic data in this important group, we sequenced the complete mitochondrial (mt) genome of Atylotus miser as well as the nearly complete mt genomes of another 11 orthorrhaphous flies.

A review of the Oriental species of Cothornobata Czerny (Diptera, Micropezidae, Eurybatinae).

The Oriental species of the genus Cothornobata Czerny are reviewed, with a revision of the species occurring in the northern Oriental region, and descriptions of the following 16 new species from China and Vietnam: C. atra sp. nov.