A molecular phylogeny of the Cephinae (Hymenoptera, Cephidae) based on mtDNA COI gene: a test of traditional classification
Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 25, 2026

A Concoction Pipeline for Generating Molecular Operational Taxonomic Units (MOTUs) Among Riparian and Aquatic Beetles
Published on: July 11, 2025
Mahir Budak1, E Mahir Korkmaz, Hasan H Basibuyuk
1Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Cumhuriyet University, 58140-Sivas, Turkey.
Abstract:
Cephinae is traditionally divided into three tribes and about 24 genera based on morphology and host utilization. There has been no study testing the monophyly of taxa under a strict phylogenetic criterion. A molecular phylogeny of Cephinae based on a total of 68 sequences of mtDNA COI gene, representing seven genera of Cephinae, is reconstructed to test the traditional limits and relationships of taxa. Monophyly of the traditional tribes is not supported. Monophyly of the genera are largely supported except for Pachycephus. A few host shift events are suggested based on phylogenetic relationships among taxa. These results indicate that a more robust phylogeny is required for a more plausible conclusion. We also report two species of Cephus for the first time from Turkey.
Related Concept Videos
Evolutionary Relationships through Genome Comparisons
Microbial Phylogeny
Modern Molecular Taxonomy
Phylogeny
Applications of Molecular Taxonomy
Phylogenetic Species Concept in Microbiology
