Tenthredinidae (Hymenoptera: Tenthredinoidea), the most species-rich sawfly family, features a controversial subfamily classification, particularly regarding Eriocampa Hartig, 1837, Conaspidia Konow, 1898, and their relatives. In this study, we sequenced and characterized 15 complete mitochondrial genomes from Eriocampa, Eriocampopsis Takeuchi, 1952, and Conaspidia, and reconstructed the phylogeny of Tenthredinidae using a mitogenomic dataset including 69 species from 16 subfamilies. The mitochondrial genomes of these genera exhibited genus-specific tRNA rearrangements within the IQM and ARNS1EF clusters. Phylogenetic analyses using both Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian Inference consistently recovered (Eriocampa + Eriocampopsis + Conaspidia) as a monophyletic lineage distinct from other subfamilies of Tenthredinidae. Divergence-time estimates indicate that the Eriocampa lineage diverged from other tenthredinids around the Late Cretaceous–Paleocene boundary (~70 Ma) and diversified during the Eocene. This timing coincides with the radiation of their host plants (Araliaceae, Betulaceae, and Juglandaceae). We also compared the morphology of Eriocampinae with that of other subfamilies of Tenthredinidae and summarized the diagnostic characters of Eriocampinae. Integrating morphological and mitogenomic evidence supports the recognition of Eriocampinae Rohwer, 1911 stat. nov. This study not only clarifies the phylogenetic position of these genera but also provides new insights into the coevolutionary history between sawflies and angiosperms.
Wan et al. (Thu,) studied this question.