Biology subjects

Ghanavi, H. R.

Publications and source records attributed to Ghanavi, H. R..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2022

The phylogenetic placement of an enigmatic moth Egybolis vaillantina based on museomics

Here, we present multi-locus sequencing results from the enigmatic Afrotropical monotypic genus Egybolis Boisduval (occurring in East- and South Africa - previously placed in the subfamily Catocalinae, Noctuidae). Model-based phylogenetic analysis places Egybolis within a strongly supported clade comprising four Old World Tropical genera Cocytia Boisduval, Avatha Walker, Anereuthina Hubner and Serrodes Guenee from the family Erebidae, subfamily Erebinae. Hence, we propose to formally assign the monotypic genus Egybolis to the subfamily Erebinae, and the tribe Cocytiini. Timing of divergence analysis reveals the late Oligocene origin around 25 million years ago (mya) for the tribe Cocytiini, an early Miocene i.e., about 21 mya for the split between Cocytia and Egybolis.

evolutionary biology↗

bioRxiv2021

Exploring bycatch diversity of organisms in whole genome sequencing of Erebidae moths (Lepidoptera)

Models estimate that up to 80% of all butterfly and moth species host vertically transmitted endosymbiotic microorganisms, which can affect the host fitness, metabolism, reproduction, population dynamics, and genetic diversity, among others. The supporting empirical data are however currently highly biased towards the generally more colourful butterflies, and include less information about moths. Additionally, studies of symbiotic partners of Lepidoptera predominantly focus on the common bacterium Wolbachia pipientis, while infections by other inherited microbial partners have more rarely been investigated. Here, we mine the whole genome sequence data of 47 species of Erebidae moths, with the aims to both inform on the diversity of symbionts potentially associated with this Lepidoptera group, and discuss the potential of metagenomic approaches to inform on their associated microbiome diversity. Based on the result of Kraken2 and MetaPhlAn2 analyses, we found clear evidence of the presence of Wolbachia in four species. Our result also suggests the presence of three other bacterial symbionts (Burkholderia spp., Sodalis spp. and Arsenophonus spp.), in three other moth species. Additionally, we recovered genomic material from bracovirus in about half of our samples. The detection of the latter, usually found in mutualistic association to braconid parasitoid wasps, may inform on host-parasite interactions that take place in the natural habitat of the Erebidae moths, suggesting either contamination with material from species of the host community network, or horizontal transfer of members of the microbiome between interacting species.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2021

The (non) accuracy of mitochondrial genomes for family level phylogenetics: the case of erebid moths (Lepidoptera; Erebidae)

The use of molecular data to study evolutionary history of different organisms, revolutionized the field of systematics. Now with the appearance of high throughput sequencing (HTS) technologies more and more genetic sequence data is available. One of the important sources of genetic data for phylogenetic analyses has been mitochondrial DNA. The limitations of mitochondrial DNA for the study of phylogenetic relationships have been thoroughly explored in the age of single locus phylogenies. Now with the appearance of genomic scale data, more and more mitochondrial genomes are available. Here we assemble 47 mitochondrial genomes using whole genome Illumina short reads of representatives of the family Erebidae (Lepidoptera), in order to evaluate the accuracy of mitochondrial genome application in resolving deep phylogenetic relationships. We find that mitogenomes are inadequate for resolving subfamily level relationships in Erebidae, but given good taxon sampling, we see its potential in resolving lower level phylogenetic relationships.

evolutionary biology↗