Characterization of the Complete Mitochondrial Genome of Three Satyrid Butterfly Species (Satyrinae:Amathusiini) and Reconstructed Phylogeny of Satyrinae

Satyrinae, one of the most species-rich groups within the Nymphalidae family, has traditionally relied on morphological characteristics for classification. However, this approach encounters challenges due to issues such as cryptic species and paraphyletic groups. Recent molecular phylogenetic studies have revealed the complex evolutionary history of Satyrinae, leading to the reclassification of the originally polyphyletic Satyrini into multiple independent tribes and confirming the monophyletic status of groups such as Amathusiini. Nevertheless, the phylogenetic relationships and divergence times of certain tribes remain contentious. This study focuses on three species of the Amathusiini tribe (<i>Faunis aerope</i>, <i>Stichophthalma howqua</i>, and <i>Aemona lena</i>), constructing a phylogenetic tree by sequencing the complete mitochondrial genome and integrating 13 protein-coding genes, including COI and ND5. The results indicate that the mitogenome lengths for the three satyrid species are 15,512 bp for <i>Faunis aerope</i>, 13,914 bp for <i>Stichophthalma howqua</i>, and 15,288 bp for <i>Aemona lena</i>. The genetic composition and sequencing of the newly obtained mitogenomes exhibit high conservation and are distinctive to this group of butterflies. Each of the three mitogenomes contains a characteristic collection of 37 genes along with an AT-rich region. Notably, the tRNA genes across these mitogenomes display a conventional cloverleaf configuration; however, the tRNA^Ser stem (AGN) lacks the dihydrouridine (DHU) arm. The three species exhibit varying lengths of AT-rich regions, resulting in differences in their mitochondrial genome sizes. Finally, the phylogenetic analysis supports the relationships among the four tribes of Satyrinae as: (Satyrini + (Amathusiini + Elymniini)) + Melanitini.