PHYLOGENETIC-RELATIONSHIPS AND EVOLUTION OF THE JAPANESE CARABINAE GROUND BEETLES BASED ON MITOCHONDRIAL ND5 GENE-SEQUENCES

The phylogenetic relationships of the Japanese Carabinae ground beetle s were analyzed by comparing 1,069 nucleotide sequences in the mitocho ndrial gene encoding NADH dehydrogenase subunit 5 (ND5). The ND5 phylo genetic tree revealed that the hind-wingless Carabina and the hind-win ged Calosoma/Campalita (Calosomina) diverged from the common ancestor, and Cychrus (Cychrini) is the outgroup of them. Five distinct cluster s (groups) can be recognized in the Carabina, i.e., CARABUS, HEMICARAB US, LEPTOCARABUS, APOTOMOPTERUS, and PROCRUSTES/DAMASTER. The ancestor s of these lineages diverged almost at the same time more than 10 Myr ago. The Carabus cluster includes two subclusters, Carabus and Ohomopt erus. Two species of Carabus examined are phylogenetically rather remo te, while five species among Ohomopterus are closely related to each o ther. The results suggest that diversification of Carabus started much earlier than that of Ohomopterus, presumably in the Eurasian continen t, and that of Ohomopterus in the Japanese archipelago. The branching order in the LEPTOCARABUS lineage was established, Authenocarabus/Pent acarabus being their outgroup. In the DAMASTER/PROCRUSTES lineage, Pro crustes is placed as the outgroup of Damaster, with the branching orde r of Coptolabrus and Acoptolabrus/Damaster. The diversification of the Damaster subspecies appeared to have occurred in the Japanese archipe lago earlier than Ohomopterus, and its phylogeny reflects their geogra phic distribution in the archipelago rather than the morphological cha racters.