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Allocotaphis Börner, 1950 (Hemiptera, Homoptera, Aphididae, Aphidinae, Macrosiphini) and its three species are fully revised. The history of the descriptions of the involved taxa is critically presented. Descriptions of the known morphs of these species and complete information on the biology and distribution of the species are presented. Three subjective synonymies are established: Spinaphis L.K. Ghosh, 1986 syn. n. and Longisiphoniella Chakrabarti, Saha & Mandal, 1988 syn. n. of Allocotaphis Börner, 1950, and Longisiphoniella subterranea Chakrabarti, Saha & Mandal, 1988 syn. n. of Allocotaphis multisetosa (L.K. Ghosh, 1986) comb. n. An hypothesis for the formation of the genus and the speciation that took place within it is proposed.

We describe apterous and alate viviparous females of a new species of the Lachninae genus Eulachnus (Eulachnini) from China. The new species, Eulachnus blackmani sp. nov., can be easily separated from other Asian representatives of this genus: the ultimate rostral segments are without accessory setae; the spinal scleroites are larger than the pleural and marginal ones; there are a few very long setae on the distal part of the tibiae and on the hind tarsus. The new species is morphologically most similar to the European E. nigricola (Pašek), and hence unusual within the Asian Eulachnus fauna.

Aphids harbor an array of symbionts that provide hosts with ecological benefits. Microbial community assembly generally varies with respect to aphid species, geography, and host plants. However, the influence of host genetics and ecological factors on shaping intraspecific microbial community structures has not been fully understood. In the present study, using Illumina sequencing of the V3 − V4 hypervariable region of the 16S rRNA gene, we characterized the microbial compositions associated with Mollitrichosiphum tenuicorpus from different regions and plants in China. The primary symbiont Buchnera aphidicola and the secondary symbiont Arsenophonus dominated the microbial flora in M. tenuicorpus. Ordination analyses and statistical tests suggested that geography and aphid genetics primarily contributed to the variation in the microbiota of M. tenuicorpus. We further confirmed the combined effect of aphid genetics and geography on shaping the structures of symbiont and secondary symbiont communities. Moreover, the significant correlation between aphid genetic divergence and symbiont community dissimilarity provides evidence for intraspecific phylosymbiosis in natural systems. Our study helped to elucidate the eco-evolutionary relationship between symbiont communities and aphids within one given species.

Ceratovacuna atrovirensa Qiao sp.n., a woolly aphid on Indocalamus tessellatus from China, is described and illustrated. The new species is supported by both morphological and molecular data. An updated key to apterous viviparous females of Ceratovacuna is provided. The type specimens are deposited in the National Zoological Museum of China, Institute of Zoology, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China and the Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom. www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:8D012AE4-D4FD-4AF7-B2AC-3CCB22ADE188 .

Summary Symbiotic association is universal in nature, and an array of symbionts play a crucial part in host life history. Aphids and their diverse symbionts have become a good model system to study insect‐symbiont interactions. Previous symbiotic diversity surveys have mainly focused on a few aphid clades, and the relative importance of different factors regulating microbial community structure is not well understood. In this study, we collected 65 colonies representing eight species of the aphid genus Mollitrichosiphum from different regions and plants in southern China and Nepal and characterized their microbial compositions using Illumina sequencing of the V3 − V4 hypervariable region of the 16S rRNA gene. We evaluated how microbiota varied across aphid species, geography and host plants and the correlation between microbial community structure and host aphid phylogeny. Heritable symbionts dominated the microbiota associated with Mollitrichosiphum, and multiple infections of secondary symbionts were prevalent. Ordination analyses and statistical tests highlighted the contribution of aphid species in shaping the structures of bacterial, symbiont and secondary symbiont communities. Moreover, we observed a significant correlation between Mollitrichosiphum aphid phylogeny and microbial community composition, providing evidence for a pattern of phylosymbiosis between natural aphid populations and their microbial associates.

The aphid genus Mesocallis Matsumura in China is reviewed. A total of seven species are recognised using morphological characteristics, including six known species, Mesocallis (Mesocallis) alnicola Ghosh, M. (Paratinocallis) corylicola (Higuchi), M. (M.) pteleae Matsumura, M. (M.) sawashibae (Matsumura), M. (P.) yunnanensis (Zhang) and M. (M.) taoi Quednau, and one new species, M. (M.) platycaryae Qiao, sp. nov. The new species, collected on Platycarya strobilacea (Juglandaceae) in Anhui Province, China, is described and illustrated. A key to Mesocallis species from China is presented.

Strong correlations between species diversity and climate have been widely observed, but the mechanism underlying this relationship is unclear. Here, we explored the causes of the richness–climate relationships among passerine birds in China by integrating tropical conservatism and diversification rate hypotheses using path models. We found that assemblages with higher species richness southwest of the Salween–Mekong–Pearl River Divide are phylogenetically overdispersed and have shorter mean root distances (MRDs), while species-rich regions northeast of this divide (e.g., north Hengduan Mountains–south Qinling Mountains) are phylogenetically clustered and have longer MRDs. The results of the path analyses showed that the direct effect of climatic factors on species richness was stronger than their indirect effects on species richness via phylogenetic relatedness, indicating that neither tropical conservatism nor diversification rate hypotheses can well explain the richness–climate relationship among passerines in China. However, when path analyses were conducted within subregions separately, we found that the tropical conservatism hypothesis was well supported in the southwestern Salween–Mekong–Pearl River Divide, while the diversification rate hypothesis could explain the richness–climate relationship well in the northeastern divide. We conclude that the diversity patterns of passerines in different subregions of the Eastern Himalayas-Mountains of Southwest China may be shaped by different evolutionary processes related to geological and climatic histories, which explains why the tropical conservatism or diversification rate hypothesis alone cannot fully explain the richness–climate relationships.

Aphids are known to be associated with a variety of symbiotic bacteria. To improve our knowledge of the bacterial diversity of polyphagous aphids, in the present study, we investigated the microbiota of the cosmopolitan agricultural pest Myzus persicae (Sulzer). Ninety-two aphid samples collected from different host plants in various regions of China were examined using high-throughput amplicon sequencing. We comprehensively characterized the symbiont diversity of M. persicae and assessed the variations in aphid-associated symbiont communities. We detected a higher diversity of symbionts than has been previously observed. M. persicae hosted the primary endosymbiont Buchnera aphidicola and seven secondary symbionts, among which Wolbachia was the most prevalent and Rickettsia, Arsenophonus, and Spiroplasma were reported for the first time. Ordination analyses and statistical tests revealed that the symbiont flora associated with M. persicae did not change with respect to host plant or geography, which may be due to frequent migrations between different aphid populations. These findings will advance our knowledge of the microbiota of polyphagous insects and will enrich our understanding of assembly of host-microbiome systems.

The broadly distributed genus Hyalopterus currently comprises three formally recognized species that are highly similar morphologically and hence difficult to be identified with certainty. This group has undergone multiple revisions in the past century, but none of these has assessed species from Asia, which has hampered our understanding of the species diversity within this genus. Based on a comprehensive data set from morphological data and host‐associated data, and by coalescent‐based delimitation approaches, the Hyalopterus species boundaries, distribution and diversity were clarified here to further reveal the composition of the species. Two single‐locus (ML‐GMYC and mPTP) and two multilocus (BPP and STACEY) delimitation methods were conducted based on extensive sampling. Then, the phylogenetic relationships and morphological divergence were assessed. Our data strongly supported that the number of recognized species in Hyalopterus had likely been underestimated. The phylogenetic analyses recovered four major clades, which corresponded to distinct host‐plant preferences. Also, the morphological analyses showed significant differentiation for only one of the newly recognized candidate species uncovered by the delimitation approaches, suggesting the existence of at least two independent evolutionary lineages within Hyalopterus arundiniformis, which showed different patterns of host association. Moreover, based on our data, the taxonomic misidentification of H. arundiniformis in China was corrected here. This study lays the groundwork for the thorough taxonomic revision of Hyalopterus and for future evolutionary studies and underlines the importance of an integrated framework for species determination.

Bacteria are ubiquitous inhabitants of animals. Hormaphidinae is a particular aphid group exhibiting very diverse life history traits. However, the microbiota in this group is poorly known. In the present study, using high‐throughput sequencing of bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA gene amplicons, we surveyed the bacterial flora in hormaphidine aphids and explored whether the aphid tribe, host plant and geographical distribution are associated with the distribution of secondary symbionts. The most dominant bacteria detected in hormaphidine species are heritable symbionts. As expected, the primary endosymbiont Buchnera aphidicola is the most abundant symbiont across all species and has cospeciated with its host aphids. Six secondary symbionts were detected in Hormaphidinae. Arsenophonus is widespread in Hormaphidinae species, suggesting the possibility of ancient acquisition of this symbiont. Ordination analyses and statistical tests show that the symbiont composition does not seem to relate to any of the aphid tribes, host plants or geographical distributions, which indicate that horizontal transfers might occur for these symbionts in Hormaphidinae. Correlation analysis exhibits negative interference between Buchnera and coexisting secondary symbionts, while the interactions between different secondary symbionts are complicated. These findings display a comprehensive picture of the microbiota in Hormaphidinae and may be helpful in understanding the symbiont diversity within a group of aphids.

Aphids live in symbiosis with a variety of bacteria, including the obligate symbiont Buchnera aphidicola and diverse facultative symbionts. The symbiotic associations for one aphid species, especially for polyphagous species, often differ across populations. In the present study, by using high-throughput 16S rRNA sequencing, we surveyed in detail the microbiota in natural populations of the cotton aphid Aphis gossypii in China and assessed differences in bacterial diversity with respect to host plant and geography. The microbial community of A. gossypii was dominated by a few heritable symbionts. Arsenophonus was the most dominant secondary symbiont, and Spiroplasma was detected for the first time. Statistical tests and ordination analyses showed that host plants rather than geography seemed to have shaped the associated symbiont composition. Special symbiont communities inhabited the Cucurbitaceae-feeding populations, which supported the ecological specialization of A. gossypii on cucurbits from the viewpoint of symbiotic bacteria. Correlation analysis suggested antagonistic interactions between Buchnera and coexisting secondary symbionts and more complicated interactions between different secondary symbionts. Our findings lend further support to an important role of the host plant in structuring symbiont communities of polyphagous aphids and will improve our understanding of the interactions among phytophagous insects, symbionts, and environments.

Aphids and their diverse symbionts have become a good model to study bacteria-arthropod symbiosis. The feeding habits of aphids are usually influenced by a variety of symbionts. Most studies on symbiont diversity have focused on polyphagous aphids, while symbiont community patterns for oligophagous aphids remain unclear. Here, we surveyed the bacterial communities in natural populations of two oligophagous aphids, Melanaphis sacchari and Neophyllaphis podocarpi, in natural populations. Seven common symbionts were detected, among which Buchnera aphidicola and Wolbachia were the most prevalent. In addition, an uncommon Sodalis-like symbiont was also detected in these two aphids, and Gilliamella was found in some samples of M. sacchari. We further assessed the significant variation in symbiont communities within the two aphid species, geographical regions and host specialization using statistical and ordination analyses. Geography was an important factor in shaping the symbiont community structure in these oligophagous aphids. Furthermore, the strong geographical influence may be related to specific environmental factors, especially temperature, among different regions. These findings extend our knowledge of the significance of geography and its associated environmental conditions in the symbiont community structure associated with oligophagous aphids., The significance of geography and its associated environmental conditions, as an important factor in shaping the symbiont community structure associated with oligophagous aphids.

Podothrips species occur on the leaves of various Poaceae, including bamboo and grasses. An illustrated identification key is given here to the six Podothrips species recorded from China. These include P. femoralis Dang & Qiao, sp. nov., and P. sasacola Kurosawa, P. odonaspicola (Kurosawa), and P. semiflavus Hood that are newly recorded from China.

Liu, X., Qiao, G.X., Yao, Y. & Ren, D., 28 March 2019. A new species of the aphid family Burmitaphididae (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Aphidomorpha) from Upper Cretaceous Burmese amber. Alcheringa 43...

Glyphochaitophorus Qiao gen. nov. with one new species Glyphochaitophorus cristaphis Qiao sp. nov. on Acer palmatum from Tibet, China is described and illustrated in the aphid tribe Chaitophorini. A key to Glyphochaitophorus and allied genera is provided.

In this study, the complete mitochondrial genome of Schizoneuraphis gallarum was sequenced and annotated. The mitogenome is 14,990 bp in length with an A + T content of 82.6%, including 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, two ribosomal RNA genes and a control region. This is the shortest aphid mitogenome reported so far. All the protein-coding genes are initiated with ATN codon and terminated with TAA codon except cox1 and nad4 which are terminated with T. All the transfer RNA genes can form the typical clover-leaf secondary structure except trnS (AGN). The maximum-likelihood phylogenetic tree based on mitogenome sequences of 25 aphid species shows that S. gallarum is sister to Hormaphis betulae.

Chaitophorinae is a predominantly Northern Hemisphere aphid subfamily characterized by numerous setae on the body. Two constituent tribes are associated with different host plants, with Chaitophorini feeding on deciduous trees and shrubs and Siphini colonizing grasses. Based on data from multiple genes (COI, COII, Cytb and EF-1α), geographical distribution and host association, this study investigated the phylogeny and macroevolution of Chaitophorinae using phylogenetic reconstruction, molecular dating, model-based ancestral area and character estimations and diversification rate calculation. Our results support the monophyly of Chaitophorinae and two tribes, indicate that Sipha and the two largest genera Chaitophorus and Periphyllus are not monophyletic, and suggest a need for a change in the taxonomic status of Lambersaphis, which was nested within Chaitophorus in the phylogenetic tree. We recovered an origin of Chaitophorinae on Acer plants from eastern Asia during the Late Cretaceous to early Palaeocene, followed by multiple dispersals into other areas that were responsible for its contemporary distribution. The origins of Siphini and Chaitophorus + Lambersaphis coincided with colonizations of novel host plants. An increase in diversification rate occurred within Chaitophorus in the Miocene and was associated with range expansion and switching onto new host plants, highlighting the roles of dispersal and host shift in aphid diversification.

As the second largest and most diverse group in the superfamily Aphidoidea, the phylogeny of drepanosiphine aphids sensu lato (s.l.) is critical for discussing the evolution of aphids. However, the taxa composition and phylogenetic relationships of drepanosiphine aphids s.l. have not been fully elucidated to date. In this study, based on total-evidence analyses combining 4 molecular genes (3 mitochondrial, COI, tRNA-Leu/COII, and CytB; 1 nuclear, EF-1ɑ) and 64 morphological and biological characteristics, the phylogeny of this group was reconstructed for the first time at the subfamily level using different datasets, parsimonies and model-based methods. All of our phylogenetic inferences clearly indicated that the drepanosiphine aphids s.l. was not a monophyletic group and seemed to support the division of the drepanosiphine aphids s.l. into different groups classified at the subfamily level. Calaphidinae was also not a monophyletic group, and Saltusaphidinae was nested within this subfamily. Drepanosiphinae was not clustered with Chaitophorinae, which was inconsistent with the previous hypothesis of a close relationship between them, illustrating that their phylogeny remains controversial. Overall, some groups of drepanosiphine aphids s.l., including Phyllaphidinae, Macropodaphidinae, Pterastheniinae, Lizeriinae, Drepanosiphinae, Spicaphidinae, Saltusaphidinae, and Calaphidinae, clustered together and might constitute the actual drepanosiphine aphids s.l. To a certain extent, our results clarified the phylogenetic relationships among drepanosiphine aphids s.l. and confirmed their taxonomic status as subfamilies.

In the recently re-instated genus Mesandrothrips Priesner, four species are recognized from China, and an illustrated key is provided here. This includes one new species, M. acutisetis sp.n., together with the first record of M. subterraneus from China.

Eriosomatinae is a particular aphid group with typically heteroecious holocyclic life cycle, exhibiting strong primary host plant specialization and inducing galls on primary host plants. Aphids are frequently associated with bacterial symbionts, which can play fundamental roles in the ecology and evolution of their host aphids. However, the bacterial communities in Eriosomatinae are poorly known. In the present study, using high-throughput sequencing of the bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA gene, we surveyed the bacterial flora of eriosomatines and explored the associations between symbiont diversity and aphid relatedness, aphid host plant and geographical distribution. The microbiota of Eriosomatinae is dominated by the heritable primary endosymbiont Buchnera and several facultative symbionts. The primary endosymbiont Buchnera is expectedly the most abundant symbiont across all species. Six facultative symbionts were identified. Regiella was the most commonly identified facultative symbiont, and multiple infections of facultative symbionts were detected in the majority of the samples. Ordination analyses and statistical tests show that the symbiont community of aphids feeding on plants from the family Ulmaceae were distinguishable from aphids feeding on other host plants. Species in Eriosomatinae feeding on different plants are likely to carry different symbiont compositions. The symbiont distributions seem to be not related to taxonomic distance and geographical distance. Our findings suggest that host plants can affect symbiont maintenance, and will improve our understanding of the interactions between aphids, their symbionts and ecological conditions.