Re-description, systematics and complete mitochondrial genome of Philheliuscoreanus (Shiraki, 1930) (Diptera, Syrphidae) in the Republic of Korea.

Background: The hoverfly Philheliuscoreanus (Shiraki, 1930) was first described, based on only Korean male specimens and subsequent descriptions of the female from Russia did not include discussions of phenotypic variation. Furthermore, full-length mitochondrial genome sequences for the genus are lacking.

New information: To address these gaps, we here provide a diagnosis, re-description and mitochondrial genome of Philheliuscoreanus (Shiraki, 1930). We evaluated genitalic characters of both males and females with colour photographs and they showed intraspecific variation. There was significant variation in the yellow spots on the pleuron, particularly in females. After obtaining the complete mitochondrial genome of P.coreanus, we performed a phylogenetic analysis using Maximum Likelihood, based on 13 protein-coding genes, with a focus on relationships within the tribe Syrphini. Our results supported the monophyly of Syrphini, showing a sister-group relationship between Philhelius and Doros Meigen, 1822. Furthermore, the Philhelius + Doros clade was closely related to the Chrysotoxum + Dideopsis clade, with relatively high support. The newly-obtained mitochondrial genome of P.coreanus and high-resolution phylogenetic analysis provide essential resources for further analyses of the genus and relationships within Syrphini.