Differences between phytophagous and predatory species in Pentatomidae based on the mitochondrial genome

Pentatomidae includes many species of significant economic value as plant pests and biological control agents. The feeding habits of Pentatomidae are closely related to their energy metabolism and ecological adaptations. In this study, we sequenced the mitochondrial genomes of 12 Asopinae species using the next-generation sequencing to explore the effect of dietary changes on mitochondrial genome evolution. Notably, all sequences were double-stranded circular DNA molecules containing 37 genes and one control region. We then compared and analyzed the mitochondrial genome characteristics of phytophagous and predatory bugs. Notably, no significant difference was observed in the length of the mitochondrial genomes between the predatory and phytophagous bugs. However, the AT content was higher in the mitochondrial genomes of phytophagous bugs than that of predatory bugs. Moreover, phytophagous bugs prefer codon usage patterns ending in A/T compared with predatory bugs. The evolution rate of predatory bugs was lower than that of phytophagous bugs. The phylogenetic relationships across phytophagous bugs' lineages were largely consistent at depth nodes based on different datasets and tree-reconstructing methods, and strongly supported the monophyly of predatory bugs. Additionally, the estimated divergence times indicated that Pentatomidae explosively radiated in the Early Cretaceous. Subsequently, the subfamily Asopinae and the genus Menida diverged in the Late Cretaceous. Our research results provide data supporting for the evolutionary patterns and classification of Pentatomidae.