Christian R González, Mónica Saldarriaga-Córdoba
The infraorder Tabanomorpha represents a key lineage within the lower Brachycera; however, the phylogenetic placement of several families, including Pelecorhynchidae, remains incompletely resolved owing to the lack of mitogenomic data. In this study, we sequenced and characterized the complete mitochondrial genome of Pelecorhynchus vulpes (Macquart, 1850), representing the first mitogenome reported for both the genus and the family. The circular genome is 15,390 bp in length and comprises a typical set of 37 genes, including 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, two ribosomal RNA genes, and a control region. The genome exhibits a strong A+T bias (78.4%) and retains the ancestral insect gene arrangement. Comparative analyses revealed a high degree of structural conservation with other Tabanomorpha, particularly in Tabanidae and Athericidae. Phylogenetic analyses based on concatenated mitochondrial protein-coding and ribosomal genes, using both Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood approaches, support Pelecorhynchidae as a sister lineage to Athericidae and Tabanidae. These findings provide new genomic evidence supporting the phylogenetic placement of Pelecorhynchidae and contribute to understanding of the evolutionary relationships within Tabanomorpha. Additionally, the phylogenetic affinity between the Chilean and Australasian representatives of Pelecorhynchus is consistent with a Gondwanan origin for the group, although alternative scenarios, such as long-distance dispersal, cannot be excluded. This study highlights the importance of mitogenomic data from underrepresented lineages and provides information for new integrative studies that combine mitochondrial and nuclear data to resolve the evolutionary history of Tabanomorpha.