The genus Heissiella Pericart, 1984, previously known from India and Bhutan, is newly recorded for China, with the species Heissiella sinica sp. nov. described as new. Dorsal habitus photograph and illustrations of characters of the species are provided, together with a key to species of Heissiella.
A checklist of Tessaratomidae from China, including 2 subfamilies, 12 genera, and 36 species, is presented. This compilation contains the complete geographical distribution for each species in China. Pycanum ponderosum Stal, 1854 and Dalcantha inermipes Stal, 1863 are newly recorded from China.
Three genera, Cuspicona Dallas, Hermolaus Distant and Oncinoproctus Breddin, and six species (Cuspicona antica Vollenhoven, Hermolaus typicus Distant, Menida atkinsoni Distant, Oncinoproctus griseolus Breddin, Paterculus aberrans Distant, and Rolstoniellus malacanicus (Yang)) of Pentatomidae are reported from China for the first time. Both dorsal and ventral habitus and genital illustrations of each species are provided. All specimens studied were from Institute of Entomology, Nankai University, Tianjin, China (NKUM) except Cuspicona antica Vollenhoven, 1868 whose involved species are kept at the Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IZCAS).
The genus Niphonympha is reviewed in China. Of the three species treated herein, N. wuzhishana sp. nov. is described as new. Photographs of adults and genitalia are provided, along with a key to the Chinese species.
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.
With the development and decreasing cost of sequencing techniques, it is possible for scientists to conduct deeper research in phylogenomics. During the procedure of phylogenomic analysis, the mostimportant and vitalest step is orthology prediction, for that the prerequisite to phylogenetic reconstruction is that the genes being compared are orthologous. Here we briefly review the related concept of orthology anddifferent methods for orthology prediction. We also provide recommendations to give some advice for better selection of orthology prediction methods.