Phylogenomic and mitogenomic data can accelerate inventorying of tropical beetles during the current biodiversity crisis

Conservation efforts must be evidence-based, so rapid and economically feasible methods should be used to quantify diversity and distribution patterns. We have attempted to overcome current impediments to the gathering of biodiversity data by using integrative phylogenomic and three mtDNA fragment analyses. As a model, we sequenced the Metriorrhynchini beetle fauna, sampled from similar to 700 localities in three continents. The species-rich dataset included similar to 6500 terminals, similar to 1850 putative species delimited at 5% uncorrected pairwise threshold, possibly similar to 1000 of them unknown to science. Neither type of data could alone answer our questions on biodiversity and phylogeny. The phylogenomic backbone enabled the integrative delimitation of robustly defined natural genus-group units that will inform future research. Using constrained mtDNA analysis, we identified the spatial structure of species diversity, very high species-level endemism, and a biodiversity hotspot in New Guinea. We suggest that focused field research and subsequent laboratory and bioinformatic workflow steps would substantially accelerate the inventorying of any hyperdiverse tropical group with several thousand species. The outcome would be a scaffold for the incorporation of further data from environmental sequencing and ecological studies. The database of sequences could set a benchmark for the spatiotemporal evaluation of biodiversity, would support evidence-based conservation planning, and would provide a rob ust framework for systematic, biogeographic, and evolutionary studies.

Automated summary

The study utilized integrative phylogenomic and three mtDNA fragment analyses to sequence a beetle fauna, revealing many previously unknown species. Additionally, through constrained mtDNA analysis, a biodiversity hotspot and high species-level endemism were identified in New Guinea. Focused field research and subsequent laboratory work were recommended to accelerate the inventorying of hyperdiverse tropical groups.