Mitochondrial genome and phylogenetic placement of the enigmatic mole beetle, <i>Hypocephalus armatus</i> Desmarest, 1832 (Coleoptera: Chrysomeloidea)

Abstract The mole beetle, Hypocephalus armatus Desmarest, 1832, is an enigmatic insect with an uncertain phylogenetic placement. Hypocephalus armatus is endemic to Brazil, known from the Cerrado and Caatinga biomes. The species is rarely seen and collected, and it is currently listed as vulnerable (VU) by the Ministério do Meio Ambiente (MMA; Ministry of the Environment) of Brazil. In the present study, we generated and annotated, for the first time, the mitochondrial genome for this species. The mitochondrial genome of the mole beetle contains the standard identical order found in all other previously published Cerambycidae s.l. mitochondrial genomes and most insects. We used its mitochondrial genome to test its phylogenetic placement among other Chrysomeloidea. Our trees differ from the recent phylogenomic analyses of Chrysomeloidea because Vesperidae are herein recovered as a polyphyletic group. Our analyses recovered the mole beetle as a sister group of Migdolus fryanus Westwood, 1863, both belonging to Anoplodermatinae (Vesperidae); this clade is recovered as a sister group of Disteniidae, and (Anoplodermatinae + Disteniinae) as a sister to all other Vesperidae. We discuss the results of our analyses, providing insights based on the morphology of the species and other closely related taxa. Furthermore, more phylogenomic studies that include a broader taxon sampling of families and subfamilies and with the use of robust phylogenomic datasets are needed to elucidate the familial and subfamilial relationships inside Cerambycidae s.l., especially among some problematic or not well-sampled groups.