Comprehensive phylogeny of the Cleroidea (Coleoptera: Cucujiformia)

The first thorough molecular phylogeny of the superfamily Cleroidea, represented by 377 taxa, and the first with an emphasis on Trogossitidae, was undertaken. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian analyses were performed on a four‐gene dataset (18S, 28S, cox1, cytb) of 395 taxa (along with 18 outgroups), including all 16 currently recognized families of Cleroidea and all current and formerly recognized tribes of Trogossitidae. The superfamily as a whole received strong support in Bayesian analyses. On the basis of phylogenetic results, 18 families in Cleroidea are recognized, including three taxa elevated to family for the first time and two reinstated families. The former tribe Rentoniini (Trogossitidae: Peltinae) was strongly supported as a monophyletic group apart from the remainder of Trogossitidae, and is herein elevated to family status, Rentoniidae stat.n. Protopeltis was also found to be an isolated lineage and becomes Protopeltidae stat.n. Peltini + Larinotini were recovered as a weakly supported sister grouping; Peltini (including only Peltis) becomes Peltidae stat.rest. The trogossitid subfamily Lophocaterinae, to the exclusion of Decamerini, formed a clade which is here designated Lophocateridae stat.rest. and sensu n. The Trogossitinae tribes Calityini, Egoliini (represented by Egolia) and Larinotini were recovered apart from core Trogossitidae but showed no strong affinities to other taxa or congruence between analyses; they are here conservatively retained in Trogossitidae as Calityinae stat.rest. , Egoliinae stat.rest. and Larinotinae stat.rest. The genus Thymalus of the peltine tribe Thymalini was indicated with moderate to strong support as the sister group of the Decamerini (Trogossitidae: Lophocaterinae); together these represent Thymalidae stat.n. and sensu n. with subfamilies Decamerinae stat.rest. (new placement) and Thymalinae stat.n. The remainder of Trogossitinae, the tribes Trogossitini and Gymnochilini, formed a well‐supported clade which comprises the Trogossitidae: Trogossitinae sensu n. The tribe Gymnochilini syn.n. is synonymized with Trogossitini. The monotypic family Phloiophilidae was recovered, contradicting a recent placement within Trogossitidae. The melyrid lineage was recovered with moderate (maximum likelihood) to strong (Bayesian analyses) support and includes the families Phycosecidae, Rhadalidae, Mauroniscidae, Prionoceridae and Melyridae (including Dasytidae and Malachiidae). The genus Dasyrhadus is tentatively transferred from Rhadalidae to Mauroniscidae. The genus Gietella, once proposed as a distinct family but recently placed within Dasytidae, was recovered as strongly sister to Rhadalidae sensu n. , and we transfer it to that family as Gietellinae new placement. Attalomiminae (formerly Attalomimidae) syn.n. is synonymized with Melyridae: Malachiinae: Lemphini sensu n. Melyridae sensu n. includes only Dasytinae, Malachiinae and Melyrinae. Metaxina is returned to the Chaetosomatidae sensu n. , of which Metaxinidae syn.n. becomes a junior synonym. Resolution within Cleridae was generally poor, but a broadly defined Korynetinae stat rest. + Epiclininae received high support (Bayesian analyses). Outside of Trogossitidae, the main focus of this study, major rearrangements of the classification of Cleroidea were not undertaken, despite evidence indicating such changes are needed.