Mitochondrial genomes of Tapes dorsatus and Cardita variegata:insights into Heteroconchia phylogeny

Heteroconchia,a widespread and abundant aquatic invertebrate,is an important clade of bivalve mollusks.The relationship between the three branches of Heteroconchia,Palaeoheterodonta,Archiheterodonta,and Euheterodonta has become a main controversy in molecular studies of the relationships between bivalves.In the present study,we assembled the complete mitochondrial genomes of Tapes dorsatus(Veneridae)and Cardita variegata(Carditidae)using high-throughput sequencing.C.variegata is the first mitochondrial genome belonging to the family Carditidae to be reported.We used 12 protein coding genes(excluding atp8)from the complete mitochondrial genomes of 146 species to recover the internal relationships of Heteroconchia.Our results support the traditional view of early branching of Palaeoheterodonta and the recovery of the monophyly of Palaeoheterodonta,Anomalodesmata,Imparidentia.Rearrangement analysis show that gene arrangement within Venerida was highly variable.Time-calibrated phylogenetic studies based on a relaxed molecular clock model suggested that Veneridae originated approximately 337.62 million years ago(Ma)and split into two major clades,whereas Carditidae originated approximately 510.09 Ma.Our results provide evidence of the internal relationships of Heteroconchia.

Lotic specialization in modern Asian newts(Caudata:Salamandridae):Phylogeny,historical biogeography,and ancestral traits based on combined DNA data

Pachytriton,and Paramesotriton,are primarily distributed across East Asia,displaying a broad range of environmental adaptations,including generalists inhabiting both lotic and lentic habitats and lotic specializations.Despite recent studies on their biogeographic history,how these species adapted to geographical changes remains unclear.In this study,divergence times and reconstructed ancestral traits were estimated based on phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences,totaling 4048 bp.Results indicated that the divergence between lotic-specialized and generalist species occurred during the middle to late Miocene(95% confidence interval(CI):16-13 million years ago(Ma)),correlating with the long-lasting arid period(14-12 Ma)and uplift of the Wuyi-Nanling mountains(15-11 Ma).Ancestral trait reconstruction revealed notable morphological changes associated with the emergence of lotic-specialized lineages.Specifically,male body size increased from 130 mm to 140 mm,and epibranchial traits shifted from thin to thick structures.Additionally,variation in tongue movability and skin texture were observed among lotic species.Each morphological shift is hypothesized to have an ecological basis,facilitating adaptation to specific environmental conditions.Overall,this study represents the first comprehensive attempt to elucidate the evolution of ancestral traits among divergent species of modern Asian newts,providing a deeper understanding of their adaptive responses to historical geographical and climatic changes.

Phylogeny of Apaturinae Butterflies (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) Based on Mitochondrial Cytochrome OxidaseⅠ Gene

The phylogenetic relationships of genera in the subfamily Apaturinae were examined using mtDNA sequence data from 1,471 bp of cytochrome oxidase subunit Ⅰ （COI）. The mitochondrial COI gene from a total of 16 species in 11 genera were sequenced to obtain mtDNA data, along with those of 4 species obtained from GenBank, to construct the MP and the NJ trees using Athyma jina, Penthema adelma, Polyura nepenthes, and Charaxes bernardus as outgroups. The transitions at the third codon positions of the COI data set were found saturated, but they were retained for analysis, because they contain the majority of the phylogenetic information. The impacts of equal weight assumptions for all characters in the parsimonious analysis were assessed by potential alternations in clades in response to different transition/transversion weighting schemes. The results indicated four distinct major groups in Apaturinae. Moreover, several well supported and stable clades were found in the Apaturinae. The study also identified undetermined taxon groups whose positions were weakly supported and were subject to changes under different weighting schemes. Within the Apaturinae, the clustering results are approximately identical to the classical morphological classification. The mtDNA data suggest the genus Mimathyma as a monophyletic group. Lelecella limenitoides and Dilipa fenestra have close relationship with very strong support in all phylogenetic trees. It also supports the taxonomic revision of removing several species from Apatura to other genera, namely Mimathyma schrenckii, M. chevana, M. nycteis, Chitoria subcaerulea, C. fasciola, C. pallas, and Helcyra subalba.

Molecular Phylogeny of the Higher Category of Acrididae (Orthoptera: Acridoidea)

The phylogenetic relationships among all taxa within the Acrididae （Orthoptera： Acridoidea） were largely unknown until now. In this study, to further investigations, 24 species of Acrididae from China were used as sample taxa. The sequence constitutions and variations were analyzed and the molecular phylogenetic trees were reconstructed based on the combined sequence data （795bp length in total） of 12S rDNA and 16S rDNA, using the grasshopper Pyrgomorpha conica of Pyrgomorphidae as the outgroup. The results showed that the rates of the two kinds of transitions are obviously much higher than that of the four kinds of Wansversions in these combined 12S＋16S rDNA sequence data. The saturation ofnucleotide substitutions happened in 12S and 16S rDNA sequence data. The molecular phylogenetic trees indicated that Oedipodinae is a monophyletic group and this subfamily is a natural one, but Catantopinae and Acridinae are non-monophyletic. Oedipodnae is a relatively primitive group within the Acrididae, whereas the Oxyinae may have diverged later than Oedipodinae, but earlier than most other species of Acridide.

Phylogeny of Aceraceae Based on ITS and trn L-F Data Sets

The nuclear encoded internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and the plastid encoded trn L-F region were sequenced for 41 species of the Aceraceae, representing both genera Acer and Dipteronia, to reconstruct phylogeny of this family, especially within Acer. The analyses were performed in separate and combined sequence data sets, with the Sapindaceae and Hippocastanaceae being selected as outgroups. It was indicated that the Aceraceae was monophyletic and D. sinensis was basal to the rest of the family but the two genera of it might be not monophyletic because Dipteronia dyerana was nested within Acer. The result inferred from the combined data showed greater resolution within Acer than that from the two separate data sets. The monophyly of most sections in Xu's system (1996) were supported with high bootstrap values, and some relationships between (or among) sections were also inferred, such as sect. Palmata and sect. Microcarpa; sect. Platanoidea, sect. Lithocarpa and sect. Macrophylla; sect. Integrifolia, sect. Trifoliata and sect. Pentaphylla; and sect. Acer, sect. Goniocarpa and sect. Saccharina (sensu Ogata). However, the sectional status and circumscriptions of some of the above-mentioned sections should be further adjusted. It seemed that the Xu's delimitations of sect. Rubra and sect. Saccharodendran should be revaluated.

Molecular Phylogeny of the Lardizabalaceae Based on TrnL-F Sequences and Combined Chloroplast Data

The molecular phylogeny of the Lardizabalaceae is reconstructed based on chloroplast trn L_F sequences alone and combined trn L_F and rbc L sequences. The phylogenetic topologies agree well with Qin's and Takhtajan's tribal classification in both analyses. Decaisneae and Sinofranchetieae are basal clades in the phylogenetic trees and external to all other taxa in the family. Lardizabaleae consisting of Boquila and Lardizabala are well supported in both trn L_F (100%) analysis and trn L_F and rbc L combined analysis (99%). Tribe Akebieae are strongly supported by a bootstrap value of 100% in both trn L_F analysis and trn L_F and rbc L combined analysis. However, the new genus Archakebia is nested within the genus Akebia in the trn L_F trees. In the combined trees, Archakebia is sister to Akebia with high bootstrap support. The inter_relationships among three closely related genera Parvatia , Holboellia and Stauntonia are still problematic. P. brunoniana ssp. elliptica is sister to H. latifolia in both analyses with low bootstrap support. H. parviflora is nested within the Stauntonia and sister to S. cavalerieana . Therefore, these three genera of tribe Akebieae may not be monophylytic and their generic boundary and delimitation need to be further studied, by exploring more molecular data, together with more morphological characters.

Molecular Phylogeny of Bisexual Artemia Based on 16S rDNA

[Objective] The research aimed at investigating the taxonomic position and phylogenetic relationship of bisexual brine shrimps.[Method] 16S rDNA of three species of bisexual Artemia from China was determined;the homologous sequences between them and 11 relative species of Artemia from GenBank were compared;the molecular phylogenetic tree was constructed by Mega Microsoft using Artemiopsis stefanssoni as outgroup.[Result] Artemia persimilis was the primal group in genus Artemia;Artemia franciscana and Artemia monica were the evolved groups;Artemia urmiana,Artemia sinica and other Artemia species from China shared a close genetic relationship.[Conclusion] Based on the 16S rDNA sequence of them,the phylogenetic relationships of these bisexual Artemia species were A.persimilis→A.urmiana,A.sinica and A.tibetiana→A.tunisiana→A.monica→A.Franciscan.

PHYLOGENY AND ZOOGEOGRAPHY OF THE CYPRINID GENUS Spinibarbus (Pisces: Cyprinidae)

The cyprinid genus Spinibarbus consists of 5 species. They form into a monophyly by three synapomorphies. Based on 19 external and skeletal characters, the most parsimonious cladogram is constructed for Spinibarbus fishes. Sister groups A (S. hollandi) and B-E (S. sinensis + S. denticulatus + S. yunnanensis + S. polylepis) represent the first phyletic branching within the genus Spinibarbus. The phyletic division of second sister groups B (S. sinensis) and C-E (S. denticulatus + S. yunnanensis + S. polylepis) is supposed to be resulted from the upheaval of Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau and the subsequent drainages' division. The phyletic division of third sister groups C (S. denticulatus) and D^E (S. yunnanensis + S. polylepis) is supposed to be resulted from the environmental differentiation between Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau and the lowlands of middle and lower Pearl and Yuanjiang Rivers.

Phylogeny of Saururaceae Inferred from matR Sequence Data

首次报道了三白草科 3个种及其外类群齐头绒 (ZippeliabegoniaefoliaBl.)的matR基因序列。研究材料包括三白草科现存的所有 6个种和两个选定外类群 ,分析软件是PAUP 4.0b 4a。分别采用最大简约法、距离法和最大似然法进行分析 ,都得到一个同样的系统发育树 ,只是支持率有所不同。结果显示三白草科是一个单系 ,Anemopsis是Houttuynia的姐妹群 ,并且 ,它们构成三白草科的第一个分支 ,是Gymnotheca_Saururus支的姐妹群。Gymnotheca和Saururus的姐妹群关系也被强烈支持。

Phylogeny of the true water bugs(Hemiptera-Heteroptera:Nepomorpha) based on four Hox genes

The phylogenetic relationships among the Nepomorpha （Hemiptera： Heteroptera） were analyzed based on nuclear protein coding genes-partial sequences of four Hox genes： abd-A, Dfd, Ubx and pb. Fifteen taxa, of which eleven were ingroups representing ten of the eleven families, were selected to produce a phylogenetic inference of nepomorphan superfamilial or familial relationships via parsimony and Bayesian techniques. Our results supported the monophylies of Nepomorpha, Naucoroidea （Aphelocheiridae ＋ Naucoridae）, Nepoidea （Belostomatidae ＋ Nepidae）, Ochteroidea （Ochteridae ＋ Gelastocoridae） and Pieoidea （Pleidae ＋ Helotrephidae）; the most basal lineage of Ochteroidea; Notonectoidea contained Notonectidae only and formed a new sister relationship with （Pleoidea ＋ Naucoroidea）; and the sister relationship of （Nepoidea ＋ Corixoidea）. The Hox genes are suitable molecular markers to resolve phylogenetic relationships at superfamily or family levels in Heteroptera.

Molecular Phylogeny and Phylogeography of Suidae

Although the Suidae animals were one of the most prosperous mammals, their taxa and phylogeny were poorly studied. To bridge this research gap, the complete mitochondrial DNA cyt b sequences （1140 bp）of one red river pig （ Potamochoerus porcus ）, one bearded pig （ Sus barbatus ）, and several Eurasian wild boars （ Sus scorfa ） were determined with direct PCR sequencing method. Incorporated with the sequences of other Suidae species obtained from GenBank, the phylogentic trees of Suidae species were constructed by Neighbor-Joining and Most Parsimony method. Our resuits showed that the babirousa was sister group of all other species. The African species clustered into a single clade, while the Eurasian species formed the other clade. The phylogenetic positions of the Sus species were consistent with their geographical distribution. Based on our phylogeographical results, the Sus species could be classified into three groups： （1） the relatively primitive animals from Philippine Islands （such as S. cebifrons and S. philippensis ）, Sulawesi and it＇s adjacent islands （S. celebensis）, （2） the Eurasian wild boars （S. scrofa and the mysterious S. salvanius）, and （3） other pigs （such as S. barbatus and S. verrucosus）, which might further diverged as the islands type （such as S. barbatus from Sumatra and Borneo） and the continental type （such as Malay Peninsula wild boar）.

16S rRNA Gene-Based Analysis of Ileal Bacterial Community and Phylogeny in Nursing and Weaned Piglets

Weaning of piglets is generally considered as a stressor which changes intestinal ecosystem and leads to clinical implications. Microbiota inhabiting in small intestine （especially ileum） are assumed to promote health, but their functional properties are yet poody dascdbed. As indicated by the 16S rRNA gene sequences of ileal micrebiota in nursing piglets （at the age of 21 and 28 d） and 28-day-old weaned piglets （weaned at 21 d of age）, the microbiota were mainly comprised of gram-positive bacteria. There were 40 operational taxonomic units （OTUs） （from 171 clones） in the ileum of nursing piglets aged 21 d, 61 OTUs （from 194 clones） in the ileum of nursing piglets aged 28 d, and 56 OTUs （from 171 clones） in the ileum of weaned piglets aged 28 d. The flea of nursing piglets aged 21 d were dominantly occupied by Lactobacilli （87.7%） as well as Streptococ cus （ 3.5 % ）. Lactobacillus amy/ovorus （41.5 % ）, Lactobaci/lus sp. （ 19.3 % ）, Lactobaci/lus reuteri （ 12.3 % ）, Lactobacillus salivarius （ 9.4 % ） and L. mucosae （4.7%） were the predominant species among Lactobacil/L Similar results were obtained in the nursing piglets at 28 d of age ex- cept that Lactobaci/li decreased to 71.1% and Streptococcus increased to 21.1% significantly. Lactobacillus （52.0%） and Streptococcus （26.3%） were the two major groups in the ileum of weaned piglets aged 28 d. Lactobacillus amylovorus （31.6%） and Lactobaci/lus reuteri （ 16.4% ） was the two most important species in Lactobacillus. Therefore, Lactobacilli were predominant in the ileum of nursing and weaned piglets, and they had the highest diversity, followed by Streptococcus. The diversity of ileal microbiota was not different remarkably between the nursing piglets and the weaned piglets, but the composition changed significantly. These findings are helpful to understand ileal bacterial ecophysiology and further develop nutritional regimes to prevent or counteract complications during the weaning transition.

Phylogeny in Chloranthus Swartz (Chloranthaceae) Inferred from Sequence Analysis of nrDNA ITS Region

The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions of nuclear ribosomal DNA from ten species of Chloranthus Swartz and two outgroup species of Sarcandra Gardn. were sequenced. The regions ranged in length from 654 to 663 bp, with ITS1 (285-290 bp) slightly longer than ITS2 (205-211 bp). Of the 669 aligned positions, 109 sites (56 in ITS1, 52 in ITS2, and one in 5.8S region) were phylogenetically informative. Only one most parsimonious tree of 252 steps was obtained in PAUP analysis when gaps were treated as the fifth state. The traditional division of Chloranthus on the basis of habit seems to be quite unnatural. Evidence from the sequence of ITS region, just as that from cytology and anatomy, strongly suggested the separation of the genus into two groups according to the characteristics of androecial organs: one contains C. angustifolius, C. nervosus, C. japonicus and C. fortunei, and the other comprises the remaining species.

CRANIODENTAL VARIATION OF MACAQUES ( Macaca ): SIZE,FUNCTION AND PHYLOGENY

In order to analyze skull variation in the genus Macaca ,seventy seven craniodental variables were taken from eleven species.They were first defined seven functional units comprising three anatomical regions.Twenty seven variables were finally selected to carry out the morphology of the whole skull.The data,organized in these ways,were examined to discover variations between and within the various species.The methods used were Principal Components Analysis (PCA) and Discriminant Function Analysis (DFA).PCAs of the functional units anatomical regions,and the whole skull provided similar,though not identical,separations of species clusters in both sexes separately.These differences in structure could be related to size,sexual dimorphism,diet,ecology,classification and phylogeny.The question of size should have been easy to settle.Unfortunately,this is not the case.In this study where the raw data are measurements of the specimens,the main differences should be size.However,the size differences seem to occur in both the first and second (independent) multivariate axes.In some analyses the size differences between the species are biggest and appear in the first axis.In other analyses it is the separation between the sexes (and these too are largely size) that are the biggest and appear in the first axis.Yet in other analyses,both of these size separations,though still orthogonal to one another,present in the combination of the first two axes.This certainly implies that a single axis of body size is not present and that shape differences have not been isolated form size differences.It also implies that sexual dimorphism is a complex matter.As a result,the question of the relationships between the species is therefore also complex.One cluster of species that includes M fascicularis,M sinica and M radiata was significantly isolated from all others regardless of level of analysis.This relationship is quite different from that proposed on the anatomy of the reproductive organs (Delson,1980;Fooden,1976,1980).

A Molecular Phylogeny of Macaca Based on Mitochondrial Control Region Sequences

Nucleotide sequences of segments of the mitochondrial control regions were analyzed to infer the phylogenetic relationships among 7 macaques.High nucleotide diversity in Macaca assamensis and relatively low diversity in M.thibetana were found.Based on the ML tree from control regions,species in our study can roughly be sorted into three species groups except for the phylogenetic position of M.fascicularis,i.e.,silenus group,including M.leonina;sinica group,including M.arctoides,M.assamensis,and M.thibetana;and fascicularis group,including M.mulatta and M.cyclopis.A discrepancy between earlier studies (Fooden & Lanyon,1989;Tosi et al,2003a;Deinard & Smith,2001;Evans et al,1999;Hayasaka et al,1996;Morales & Melnick,1998),our result supported the hypothesis that M.fascicularis diverged earlier than M.leonina.Mitochondrial paraphyly in eastern M.mulatta (with respect to M.cyclopis) and eastern M.assamensis (with respect to M.thibetana) were clearly observed in our study.In accordance with the results of Y chromosome,allozyme,nuclear genes and some morphological data (Delson,1980;Fooden & Lanyon,1989;Fooden,1990;Tosi et al,2000,2003a,b;Deinard & Smith,2001),our study on control region sequences supported M.arctoides to be classified into the sinica group.However,this result disagreed with the previous mtDNA studies (Hayasaka et al,1996;Morales & Melnick,1998;Tosi et al,2003a).

Complete genome sequence of the rifamycin SV-producing Amycolatopsis mediterranei U32 revealed its genetic characteristics in phylogeny and metabolism

Amycolatopsis mediterranei is used for industry-scale production of rifamycin, which plays a vital role in antimyco- bacterial therapy. As the first sequenced genome of the genus Amycolatopsis, the chromosome of strain U32 comprising 10 236 715 base pairs, is one of the largest prokaryotic genomes ever sequenced so far. Unlike the linear topology found in streptomycetes, this chromosome is circular, particularly similar to that of Saccharopolyspora erythraea and Nocardia farcinica, representing their close relationship in phylogeny and taxonomy. Although the predicted 9 228 protein-coding genes in the A. mediterranei genome shared the greatest number of orthologs with those of S. erythraea, it was unexpectedly followed by Streptomyces coelicolor rather than N. farcinica, indicating the distinct metabolic characteristics evolved via adaptation to diverse ecological niches. Besides a core region analogous to that common in streptomycetes, a novel ＇quasicore＇ with typical core characteristics is defined within the non-core region, where 21 out of the total 26 gene clusters for secondary metabolite production are located. The rifamycin biosynthesis gene cluster located in the core encodes a cytochrome P450 enzyme essential for the conversion of rifamycin SV to B, revealed by comparing to the highly homologous cluster of the rifamycin B-producing strain S699 and further confirmed by genetic complementation. The genomic information of A. mediterranei demonstrates a metabolic network orchestrated not only for extensive utilization of various carbon sources and inorganic nitrogen compounds but also for effective funneling of metabolic intermediates into the secondary antibiotic synthesis process under the control of a seemingly complex regulatory mechanism.

The Complete Mitochondrial Genome of Salt-water Crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) and Phylogeny of Crocodilians

The nucleotide sequence of the complete mitochondrial DNA （mtDNA） molecule of the salt-water crocodile （Crocodylus porosus） was determined in this article. The molecule is 16,917 base pairs Cop） in length, and codes for 22 tRNAs, 13 protein-coding genes, 2 rRNAs, as well as a control region （D-loop）, as is characteristic for mitochondrial genomes of other metazoans. The gene order conforms to that of other crocodilians sequenced, but the arrangement of some tRNA genes differs from other vertebrates. It shows that the gene order of crocodilians is remarkably conserved. In this study, the relationships among crocodilians were examined in the phylogenetic analysis based on the control conserved regions of 17 crocodilians. The results suggest that the gharial （Gavialis gangeticus） joins the false gharial （Tomistoma schlegelii） on a common branch, and then constitutes a sister group to traditional Crocodylidae. Thus, the result supports that G gangeticus belongs to Crocodylidae. The analyses also suggest that the African slender-shouted crocodile （Crocodylus cataphractus） can be treated as an isolated genus, and constitutes a sister group to Crocodylus.

Phylogeny of the cuttlefishes (Mollusca: Cephalopoda) based on mitochondrial COI and 16S rRNA gene sequence data

To clarify cuttlefish phylogeny, mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene and partial 16S rRNA geneare sequenced for 13 cephalopod species. Phylogenetic trees are constructed, with the neighbor-joining method.Coleoids are divided into two main lineages, Decabrachia and Octobrachia. The monophyly of the order Sepioidea,which includes the families Sepiidae, Sepiolidae and Idiosepiidae , is not supported. From the two families ofSepioidea examined, the Sepiolidae are polyphyletic and are excluded from the order. On the basis of 16S rRNA andamino acid of COI gene sequences data, the two genera (Sepiella and Sepia) from the Sepiidae can be distinguished, butdo not have a visible boundary using COI gene sequences. The reason is explained. This suggests that the 16S rDNAof cephalopods is a precious tool to analyze taxonomic relationships at the genus level, and COI gene is fitter at ahigher taxonomic level (i.e., family).

Molecular Phylogeny of Slow Lorises (Nycticebus) Revealed by D-loop Sequences and Complete Cytochrome b Gene Sequences of Mitochondrial DNA

Partial sequences of the D-loop and the complete sequences of cytochrome b gene (1 140 bp) of the slow lorises (genus Nycticebus) were undertaken to investigate evolutionary relationships among species of Nycticebus.Sequence analysis results consistently provide new taxonomy evidence at the DNA level for supporting Ratajszczak and Groves’ viewpoint that N.intermedus is merely the adult of N.pygmaeus (Ratajszczak,1998;Groves,1971).Phylogenetic analysis was performed by means of the combined data and these two separate sequences data,respectively,by using various methods,supporting the same topology,in which genus Nycticebus was formed of two clusters.The first cluster was composed of N.pygmaeus,and the second cluster of N.coucang.It also could provide a new molecular genetic evidence to support the view that the genus comprises two species:N.coucang and N.pygmaeus.

Molecular phylogeny of Solms-laubachia(Brassicaceae) s.l.,based on multiple nuclear and plastid DNA sequences,and its biogeographic implications

The Hengduan Mountains region of south-west China is a noted biodiversity,hotspot, but the geographic origins and historical assembly of its rich endemic flora, including the sky-island species ofSolms-laubachia Muschl. （Brassicaceae）, have been little studied. Previous molecular studies on the phylogeny of Solms-laubachia showed it to be paraphyletic, leading to considerable expansion not only of its taxonomic limits, but also its geographic range, with the inclusion of taxa from outside the Hengduan region. However, these studies provided little resolution of interspecific relationships, preventing inferences about historical biogeography within the clade. In the present study, new sequence data from two nuclear genes （LEAFY and G3pdh） and two chloroplast intergenic spacers （petN-psbM and psbM-trnD） were combined with existing markers to increase phylogenetic signals. Phaeonychium villosum （Maxim.） Al-Shehbaz was found to be nested within Solms-laubachia s.l. In general, phylogenetic relationships appear to be a good predictor of geography, with the Hengduan Mountain endemics embedded in a paraphyletic grade of species from the western Himalayas and central Asia, but they also imply morphological homoplasy, lncongruence was detected between the nuclear and chloroplast gene trees, perhaps resulting from incomplete lineage sorting of ancestral polymorphisms. The crown age ofSolms-laubachia s.l. was estimated to be approximately 1.42-3.68 mya, using Bayesian relaxed molecular clock analysis. Historical biogeographic analysis using a parametric dispersalextinction-cladogenesis model inferred central Asia and the western Himalayas as most probable ancestral range of Solms-laubachia s.l., and estimated higher rates of eastward expansion than westward during the diversification of descendant lineages. In summary, our results suggest that Solms-laubachia s.l. originated during the Pliocene in central Asia, and subsequently migrated eastward into the Hengduan Mountains, colonizing sky-island, alpine scree-slope habitats that may have provided novel ecological opportunity and accelerated speciation, ultimately establishing this region as the present center of diversity of the genus.