First molecular Phylogeny of the genus Pnigalio (Hymenoptera: EuloPhidae) based on mitochondrial and ribosomal genes

The genus Pnigalio Schrank (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) includes over 60 species of ectoparasitoids of numerous insects, mostly leafminers and gall makers, belonging to the orders Coleoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera and Lepidoptera. The taxonomy of this genus is challenging due to the high variability and phenotypic plasticity of putatively diagnostic characters, unavailability of many types and original descriptions based often on single specimens. As a consequence, many species are still poorly characterized and difficult to identify using the available dichotomous keys. The evolutionary relationships are also still unknown, as a comprehensive phylogeny is not available yet. We present the first molecular phylogeny of Pnigalio, based on three markers: a fragment of the mitochondrial gene COI (over 400 specimens sequenced), and the 28S-D2 (over 300 specimens sequenced) and ITS2 (over 200 specimens sequenced) portions of the ribosomal gene complex. Studied specimens were mostly collected from numerous host plant systems over a wide geographical range, mostly in the Palearctic region, but also include museum specimens, some of which belonging to type series. The concatenated phylogeny presented here resulted into: 1) a much higher diversity, often cryptic, than originally anticipated; 2) the identification of several species groups that can now be recognized based also on morphological traits; 3) ecological and evolutionary insights that will be discussed. This phylogeny represents the first step toward a comprehensive taxonomic revision of the genus Pnigalio.