Abstract The quarantine pest, Opisina arenosella Walker, poses a significant threat to 34 palm plant species, including economically vital coconut trees. Its adaptability and rapid spread raise concerns about global tree invasion and potential economic and environmental impacts. Utilising advanced sequencing technology, this study aims to analyse O. arenosella mitochondrial genome, comparing it with three Lepidoptera families to explore its phylogenetic status. The complete mitochondrial genome (15,389 bp) was sequenced using the Illumina HiSeq platform, with tRNA genes validated using tRNAScan-SE and MITOS WebServer. Comparative analysis involved 13 protein-coding genes and 2 ribosomal RNA genes, comparing them with outgroup species like Agapanthia amurensis . The results revealed that O. arenosella genome’s nucleotide composition is 39.24% A, 41.33% T, 12.02% C, and 7.41% G. The phylogenetic tree was constructed using maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian inference (BI) methods. Interestingly, in the BI analysis, ( O. arenosella + Ripeacma umbellate ) clustered together with (( Promalactis suzukiella + Promalactis odaiensis ) + ( Stathmopoda auriferella + Casmara patrona )), forming a clade with high node support, while ML lacked high node support. Additionally, both methods indicated a monophyletic clade with high node support for Comparmustilia, Oberthueria, Pseudandraca , and Andraca . This research provides valuable mitochondrial genome data, contributing to phylogenetics and taxonomy studies, establishing a foundation for future research in this field.
Zhu et al. (Wed,) studied this question.