Molecular phylogeny of the higher taxa of O donata ( I nsecta) inferred from COI , 16S r RNA , 28S r RNA , and EF 1‐α sequences

In this study, we sequenced both two mitochondrial genes ( COI and 16 S r RNA ) and nuclear genes (28 S r RNA and elongation factor‐1α) from 71 species of O donata that represent 7 superfamilies in 3 suborders. Phylogenetic testing for each two concatenated gene sequences based on function (ribosomal vs protein‐coding genes) and origin (mitochondrial vs nuclear genes) proved limited resolution. Thus, four concatenated sequences were utilized to test the previous phylogenetic hypotheses of higher taxa of O donata via B ayesian inference ( BI ) and maximum likelihood ( ML ) algorithms, along with the data partition by the BI method. As a result, three slightly different topologies were obtained, but the BI tree without partition was slightly better supported by the topological test. This topology supported the suborders A nisoptera and Z ygoptera each being a monophyly, and the close relationship of A nisozygoptera to A nisoptera. All the families represented by multiple taxa in both A nisoptera and Z ygoptera were consistently revealed to each be a monophyly with the highest nodal support. Unlike consistent and robust familial relationships in Z ygoptera those of A nisoptera were partially unresolved, presenting the following relationships: ((( L ibellulidae + C orduliidae) + M acromiidae) + G omphidae + A eshnidae) + A nisozygoptera) + ((( C oenagrionidae + P latycnemdidae) + C alopterygidae) + L estidae). The subfamily S ympetrinae, represented by three genera in the anisopteran family L ibellulidae, was not monophyletic, dividing C rocothemis and D eielia in one group together with other subfamilies and S ympetrum in another independent group.