Hong-Li He

Seven new species of the genus Mileewa, M. rutricauda sp. nov., M. dragona sp. nov., M. dexingana sp. nov., M. lizizhongi sp. nov., M. taibaiensis sp. nov., M. pagodifera sp. nov., and M. gelangana sp. nov., from China, are described and illustrated.

The subfamily Mileewinae in China comprises one tribe (Mileewini), four genera (Ujna, Mileewa, Processina, Anzihelus), and 71 species, yet only 11 mitochondrial genomes have been published. This study aimed to elucidate ambiguous diagnostic traits in traditional taxonomy and examined phylogenetic relationships among genera by sequencing mitochondrial genomes from 16 species. The lengths of the mitochondrial genomes ranged from 14,532 to 15,280 bp, exhibiting an AT content of 77.2%–80.7%, indicative of AT bias. Each genome contains 13 protein‐coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA genes (tRNAs), and 2 ribosomal RNA genes (rRNAs). Notably, the genome of the Xizang endemic Mileewa digitata measures 15,280 bp, with an AT content of 80.7%, 10,941 bp of PCGs, and a 949 bp control region (CR) followed by a 19 bp poly‐A tail. Gene arrangement among the 17 genomes mirrors that of other Mileewinae species. Analyses of nucleotide diversity and evolutionary rates indicate purifying selection on PCGs, with atp8 exhibiting the greatest variability and evolutionary rate, whereas cox1 shows the least. Genetic distance studies display minimal separation among Mileewa species, specifically Mileewa nii with Mileewa margheritae and Mileewa rufivena with Mileewa ussurica, as well as the two morphs of Mileewa digitata. Phylogenetic analyses using Bayesian Inference (BI) and Maximum Likelihood (ML) generated six trees, further questioning the monophyly of the genera Mileewa, Ujna, and Processina. The reconstructed ancestral state based on the forewing patch position suggests that the common ancestor of Chinese Mileewini species was situated exclusively on the costal margin, prompting a proposed division of the tribe's species into two categories (genera). This research enriches the understanding of phylogenetic relationships within Mileewinae and contributes to the mitochondrial genome database for this group, paving the way for future taxonomic studies in China.

In this study, the mitochondrial genome of Luperomorpha xanthodera was assembled and annotated, which is a circular DNA molecule including 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes (12S rRNA and 16S rRNA), and 1388 bp non-coding regions (A + T rich region), measuring 16,021 bp in length. The nucleotide composition of the mitochondrial genome is 41.3% adenine (A), 38.7% thymine (T), 8.4% guanine (G), and 11.6% cytosine (C). Most of the protein-coding genes presented a typical ATN start codon (ATA, ATT, ATC, ATG), except for ND1, which showed the start codon TTG. Three-quarters of the protein-coding genes showed the complete stop codon TAR (TAA, TAG), except the genes COI, COII, ND4, and ND5, which showed incomplete stop codons (T- or TA-). All the tRNA genes have the typical clover-leaf structure, except tRNA^Ser1 (AGN), which has a missing dihydrouridine arm (DHU). The phylogenetic results determined by both maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference methods consistently supported the monophyly of the subfamily Galerucinae and revealed that the subtribe Luperina and genus Monolepta are polyphyletic groups. Meanwhile, the classification status of the genus Luperomorpha is controversial.

The complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of Aglossa dimidiata (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) was sequenced using high-throughput sequencing. The mitogenome of A. dimidiata was 15,225 bp in length. It comprised 37 typical genes and one control region. All protein-coding genes (PCGs) were initiated with ATN, except for COX1 (TTG). All PCGs used TAN as stop codon, except for ND5 and ND4 terminated with incomplete T. Twenty-two tRNA genes ranged from 61 to 71 bp in size. The monophyly of family Pyralidae and the sister relationship between A. dimidiata and Orthopygia glanucinalis are both supported by maximum likelihood method using the nucleotide sequences of 13 PCGs.

Four new species of Mileewini, Mileewa clavata He & Yang, sp. nov., Mileewa rubricosta He & Yang, sp. nov., Mileewa quinquemaculata He & Yang, sp. nov. and Ujna liboensis He & Yang, sp. nov., are described and illustrated. A checklist of all Chinese Mileewini is provided.

Two new Mileewini leafhoppers (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Mileewinae), Mileewa triloba sp. nov. and Ujna cavipenis sp. nov. are described from Hainan Island, China. Habitus images and figures of both male and female genitalia are provided together with a key to species of Mileewini from Hainan.

Three new species of Mileewini, Mileewa digitata sp. nov., M. furcata sp. nov., M. nigricincta sp. nov., from Tibet, China are described and illustrated.

Viruses constitute a major constraint to soybean production worldwide and are responsible for significant yield losses every year. Although varying degrees of resistance to specific viral strains has been identified in some soybean genetic sources, the high rate of mutation in viral genomes and mixed infections of different viruses or strains under field conditions usually hinder the effective control of viral diseases. In the present study, we generated transgenic soybean lines constitutively expressing the double-strand RNA specific ribonuclease gene PAC1 from Schizosaccharomyces pombe to evaluate their resistance responses to multiple soybean-infecting virus strains and isolates. Resistance evaluation over three consecutive years showed that the transgenic lines displayed significantly lower levels of disease severity in field conditions when challenged with soybean mosaic virus (SMV) SC3, a prevalent SMV strain in soybean-growing regions of China, compared to the non-transformed (NT) plants. After inoculation with four additional SMV strains (SC7, SC15, SC18, and SMV-R), and three isolates of bean common mosaic virus (BCMV), watermelon mosaic virus (WMV), and bean pod mottle virus (BPMV), the transgenic plants exhibited less severe symptoms and enhanced resistance to virus infections relative to NT plants. Consistent with these results, the accumulation of each virus isolate was significantly inhibited in transgenic plants as confirmed by quantitative real-time PCR and double antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Collectively, our results showed that overexpression of PAC1 can increase multiple virus resistance in transgenic soybean, and thus provide an efficient control strategy against RNA viruses such as SMV, BCMV, WMV, and BPMV.