中国科学院动物研究所薛大勇研究员领导的研究组最近在一项关于鳞翅目高级阶元系统发育的研究中，根据分子证据提出了钩蛾总科的新系统，即钩蛾总科中仅包括钩蛾科一个科，其下分四亚科。这项结果进一步加深了人们对钩蛾科及邻近类群系统发育关系的认识。
钩蛾总科Drepanoidea是鳞翅目中较大的总科之一，曾涉及到钩蛾科、圆钩蛾科、波纹蛾科、凤蛾科和锚纹蛾科等5科，其成员最早曾因为大多具有腹部鼓膜听器而被归入尺蛾总科Geometroidea。不同学者对钩蛾总科的组成有很多争议，其组成也经历了复杂的变迁，它所包含的科或亚科多次在两个总科之间移动或升降。目前普遍认可的分类系统主要基于形态学的研究，认为钩蛾总科是尺蛾总科的姐妹群，包括凤蛾科和钩蛾科两个科；钩蛾科Drepanidae中包括钩蛾亚科、波纹蛾亚科和圆钩蛾亚科三亚科，凤蛾科未分亚科。但对于凤蛾科是否属于钩蛾总科、钩蛾科的单系性仍存有争议，且钩蛾总科其科级单元之间的系统发育关系尚无一个令人满意的结论。
针对上述问题，研究人员在以往形态学研究的基础上开展了钩蛾总科科级系统的分子系统发育研究。根据EF-1α序列及EF-1α与COI联合序列的分子特征重建了钩蛾总科的系统发育关系，探讨了科级以上水平高级阶元的分类系统。结果表明，钩蛾亚科、波纹蛾亚科及圆钩蛾亚科分别形成单系群，确证了钩蛾亚科与波纹蛾亚科的姐妹群关系。圆钩蛾亚科与钩蛾亚科+波纹蛾亚科形成的单系得到了较高的支持。而传统分类定义的钩蛾亚科中Hypsomadius与Oreta在不同建树方法中均以100%的支持率单独聚成一支，建议将Hypsomadius与Oreta形成的一支定义为钩蛾科的另一个亚科，即山钩蛾亚科Oretinae。从而将钩蛾科划分为四个亚科：钩蛾亚科、山钩蛾亚科、波纹蛾亚科及圆钩蛾亚科。凤蛾科为单系也得到了较高的支持。而EF-1α和COI基因的联合分析中证实，凤蛾科与尺蛾科的亲缘关系更近于与钩蛾科的亲缘关系，结果表明凤蛾科即不属于钩蛾总科也不属于尺蛾总科。
上述研究结果已经在昆虫学国际知名期刊Bulletin of entomological Research上发表。该研究得到国家自然科学基金（no. 30670238）和中国科学院知识创新工程项目（no. KSCX3-IOZ-0810）资助。(生物谷Bioon.com)
生物谷推荐原文出处：
Bulletin of entomological Research doi:10.1017/S0007485309990162
A pilot study on the molecular phylogeny of Drepanoidea (Insecta: Lepidoptera) inferred from the nuclear gene EF-1α and the mitochondrial gene COI
C.G. Wua1a2, H.X. Hana1 and D.Y. Xuea1 c1
a1 Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
a2 Graduate University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
A molecular phylogenetic study of the Drepanoidea based on the EF-1α sequences and combined EF-1α and COI sequences was carried out in order to infer higher classification at and above the subfamily level. The sample contained 14 taxa representing 13 genera recognized in the Drepanoidea. The results revealed that the Drepaninae, Thyatirinae and Cyclidiinae respectively form monophyletic groups. The sister relationship between the Drepaninae and the Thyatirinae was validated. The monophyly of the Cyclidiinae with the Drepaninae+Thyatirinae was supported robustly. Hypsomadius insignis and Oreta vatama within the traditional definition of the Drepaninae formed an individual clade with robust support (100%) and constitutes a sister relationship to a clade containing the rest of the Drepaninae in all the topologies, which means that the subfamily Oretinae of the Drepanidae should be restored. The family Drepanidae is divided into four subfamilies: Drepaninae, Oretinae, Thyatirinae and Cyclidiinae in this work. The family Epicopeiidae formed a monophyly with high bootstrap values. The result of combined analysis of EF-1α and COI showed that the Epicopeiidae have a closer phylogenetic relationship with the Geometridae than with the Drepanidae and belong to neither the Drepanoidea nor the Geometroidea.
