Phylogenetic delimitation of Western Himalayan band-winged grasshoppers (Oedipodinae) based on molecular insights

This study was designed to determine the molecular phylogenetic analysis of Oedipodinae species from the lower western Himalayan region of Himachal Pradesh, India, using mitochondrial COI gene sequence. A total of 42 COI sequences representing five major tribes- Sphingonotini, Oedipodini, Locustini, Trilophidiini, and Parapleurini -were analyzed using Maximum Likelihood (ML) method based on the Kimura 2-parameter model. Phlaeoba infumata (Acridinae) was used as outgroup. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed the monophyly of Oedipodinae, with high bootstrap support (>90) across major clades. Each tribe formed a distinct cluster, with monophyletic grouping observed in the genera Sphingonotus, Oedaleus, Gastrimargus, Trilophidia and Ceracris. The Phylogeny revealed close interspecific relationship and recent divergence in taxa such as Oedaleus abruptus and O. infernalis. Intraspecific distance across intraspecific distance across species was low (0.05%), indicating strong genetic cohesion, while interspecific divergence ranged from 1.0 to 18.0%, affirming distinct evolutionary lineages. Therefore, phylogenetic analysis of the Acrididae subfamily Oedipodinae, using mitochondrial gene sequences and Phlaeoba infumata as the outgroup, confirms the monophyly of its major tribes (Sphingonotini, Oedipodini, Locustini, Parapleurini, and Trilophidiini) with high bootstrap support (≥90).