An integrated taxonomic and phylogenetic study of Neanuroidea (Poduromorpha)

Abstract

The mitogenomes of Australonura wellingtonia, Womersleymeria aff. bicornis, and Megalanura aff. tasmaniae from Satan’s Lair, Tasmania, Australia, are newly sequenced and assembled, and their characteristics are detailed. A phylogeny including 37 species of Poduromorpha based on mitochondrial genomes is also presented. Australonura wellingtonia was placed together with Rambutanura hunanensis, and W. aff. bicornis and M. aff. tasmaniae were placed together, all with high support. Our results recovered Neanuroidea as monophyletic with the highest absolute support. Holacanthella duospinosa, a species belonging to the genus of giant springtails, was the earliest branching species within the Neanuroidea clade. The only sampled Brachystomellidae species (Brachystomella parvula) grouped with other Neanuridae species, questioning its family status. We also redescribe the species A. wellingtonia (Womersley, 1936) using a new approach to morphological documentation of springtails, which uses confocal microscopy. The methodology used for specimen preparation is detailed here to facilitate future reproducibility. The reduction of the jumping apparatus within the clade Neanuroidea is discussed here based on the phylogenetic hypothesis obtained.