Brachyceran flies constitute a large radiation of the order Diptera, but the phylogenetic relationships among them have remained controversial. In this study, we used next-generation sequencing to determine mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) for six brachyceran flies. Two of these species represent Milichiidae (Aldrichiomyza flaviventris and Phyllomyza obliqua); two representing Chloropidae (Pachylophus sp.) and Sphaeroceridae (Leptocera erythrocera) are the first sequenced members of these groups; and two species from Lauxaniidae (Homoneura sp.) and Syrphidae (Paragus quadrifasciatus) were newly sequenced. Together with the published mitogenomes, we included a total of 187 species representing 40 dipteran families to investigate the phylogeny of Brachycera. The results strongly supported Brachycera as a monophyletic group. The infra-orders Stratiomyomorpha, Tabanomorpha and Xylophagomorpha were retrieved as the earliest brachyceran lineages, but the clade (Stratiomyomorpha + (Xylophagomorpha + Tabanomorpha)) was not supported. In most analyses, Platypezoidea were recovered as the sister-group to Cyclorrhapha. Syrphoidea were non-monophyletic with respect to Pipunculus. Milichiidae were non-monophyletic because of Pachylophus. Sphaeroceroidea were, in most cases, placed as the sister-group to Ephydroidea. Within Calyptratae, Hippoboscoidea were sister to an assemblage of lineages composed of a muscoid grade and Oestroidea, the latter being monophyletic in the Bayesian analyses using the PhyloBayes site-heterogeneous mixture model.

The nature conservation depends on the completeness of the knowledge about the biodiversity in the study area. Today, data on distribution and diversity of Diptera taxa remain fragmentary. This paper supplements data on the diversity of Diptera species in Europe, Russia, and the Republic of Mordovia. We have studied 1321 specimens of 241 species collected in 2013–2022. Among them, there are species, which are new for Russia (Neoempheria brevilineata, Desmometopa discipalpis) and for both Russia and Europe (Nepphyllomyza flavescensis, Phyllomyza auriculatusa, P. luteipalpis, P. orbita, P. piceus, P. striolatum). We have found for the first time 231 Diptera species for the fauna of the Republic of Mordovia; the families of Bolitophilidae, Keroplatidae, Scatopsidae, Platypezidae, Micropezidae, Opomyzidae, Asteiidae, and Milichiidae have been found for the first time in this region. Anthrax incomptus (Bombyliidae), being previously reported for the Republic of Mordovia, has been excluded now from the fauna of this region. Nine Diptera species have been previously indicated for the Republic of Mordovia without reliable confirmation by collected specimens. In this study, we have confirmed their presence in the Republic of Mordovia. Taking into account the results of the present paper, the Diptera fauna of the Republic of Mordovia includes currently 1187 species belonging to 71 families. Data on collecting methods have been presented for the found species. We provide a comparison of collecting methods and suggestions for an effective inventory of the regional Diptera fauna. We are of the view that the number of the used collecting methods affects positively the results of the fauna inventory.

As an effective biological control agent,Propylea japonica (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) preys on aphids, whiteflies, planthoppers, and small caterpillars, playing a crucial role in pest management within agro-ecological systems. However, the lack of population genomic data has hindered efforts to optimize its use in biological control. We anayzed resequencing data from 166 genomes across 29 populations spanning P. japonica’s distribution in China. This study reconstructed the species’ evolutionary history, assessed population genetic diversity and demographic structure, identified the key environmental factors driving adaptive evolution. Meanwhile, we predicted its suitable habitats across different periods using ecological niche modelling methods. The results indicated that North China (G1, Yellow River Basin) was the likely geographic origin of P. japonica. Northern and southern populations show significant genetic differentiation, with adaptive evolution in the south being the major driver. We identified genomic signatures of selection in adaptive genes associated with increased pesticide resistance and thermal tolerance. Over the past 20,000 years, effective population size of P. japonica experienced an early bottleneck during the Last Glacial Maximum period, and a subsequent rapid expansion. These insights are critical for improving the conservation and application of natural enemies, ultimately enhancing biological control in agricultural systems.

Ants (Formicidae) represent an ecologically dominant terrestrial lineage, yet resolving their deep phylogenetic relationships requires extensive taxon sampling. In this study, we sequenced four new ant mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) and assembled 34 others from public genomic data. Combining these with published sequences yielded a broad dataset of 215 species representing all 17 recognized subfamilies. Three of the four newly sequenced mitogenomes were complete and contained the canonical set of 37 genes, all exhibiting a strong A+T bias. Notably, three species displayed distinct gene rearrangements relative to the ancestral insect mitogenome. Phylogenetic inferences based on nucleotide and amino acid datasets supported the monophyly of Formicidae and all subfamilies represented by multiple species. Under concatenated Maximum Likelihood analyses, Martialis heureka (Martialinae) was recovered as the sister group to all other extant ants, with the remaining lineages dividing into poneroid and formicoid clades. Within these groups, key relationships were firmly validated, including Aneuretinae + Dolichoderinae, Heteroponerinae + Ectatomminae, Apomyrminae + Amblyoponinae, and an intriguing Myrmicinae + Formicinae clade that diverges from nuclear phylogenomic topologies. However, extensive sensitivity assessments (including likelihood mapping, alternative partitioning, and Bayesian inference) revealed underlying signal conflict and dataset dependence regarding the exact placements of Martialinae and Leptanillinae. These deep-node uncertainties are driven primarily by substitution saturation and compositional bias. Overall, while mitogenomic data provide powerful resolution for most intersubfamilial relationships, fully resolving the deepest ant divergences will require integrating nuclear genome-scale data under sophisticated models accounting for sequence heterogeneity.

As an effective biological control agent, Propylea japonica (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) preys on aphids, whiteflies, planthoppers, and small caterpillars, playing a crucial role in pest management within agro-ecological systems. However, the lack of population genomic data has hindered efforts to optimize its use in biological control. We anayzed resequencing data from 166 genomes across 29 populations spanning P. japonica’s distribution in China. This study reconstructed the species’ evolutionary history, assessed population genetic diversity and demographic structure and identified the key environmental factors driving adaptive evolution. Meanwhile, we predicted its suitable habitats across different periods using ecological niche modelling methods. The results indicated that North China (G1, Yellow River Basin) was the likely geographic origin of P. japonica. Northern and southern populations show significant genetic differentiation, with adaptive evolution in the south being the major driver. We identified genomic signatures of selection in adaptive genes associated with increased pesticide resistance and thermal tolerance. Over the past 20,000 years, effective population size of P. japonica experienced an early bottleneck during the Last Glacial Maximum period, and a subsequent rapid expansion. These insights are critical for improving the conservation and application of natural enemies, ultimately enhancing biological control in agricultural systems.

Scale insects, which belong to the superfamily Coccoidea within the order Hemiptera, encompass more than 8000 species worldwide. The adult females of these species are characterized by their immobility, and often lack wings and legs. Scale insects feed on plant tissues and can cause significant agricultural damage as pests. This study presents the sequencing of five coccoid mitogenomes, revealing detailed annotations and comparisons with other Hemiptera. The sequencing yielded between 73 million and over 121 million reads, allowing for the reconstruction of mitogenomes ranging from 12,821 to 14,446 nucleotides. Notably, a high A + T content was observed across the newly sequenced mitogenomes. Gene rearrangements were identified in all five newly sequenced mitogenomes, with the evolutionary rate analysis indicating that Coccoidea exhibit the highest Ka and Ka/Ks values among the hemipterans. In a phylogenetic context, the mitogenomes of representative species from Coccoidea and Aleyrodoidea exhibit more frequent mitochondrial gene rearrangements than those of other hemipteran groups. The analysis suggests that the frequent mitochondrial gene rearrangements observed in the coccoid species are associated with accelerated nucleotide substitution rates, supporting a connection between genetic evolution and structural variation in mitogenomes.