Phylogenetic relationship and biogeography of the genus Diestramima, a cave cricket endemic to the Oriental realm (Rhaphidophoridae: Aemodogryllinae)

Diestramima is only distributed in the Oriental realm, and mainly in China. Because they are apterous, these insects are good materials for studying biogeography. In this study, we reconstruct the phylogeny tree of Diestramima species based on maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference based on six genes, and use fossil-based molecular dating and ancestral range estimation to reconstruct the dispersal route. The results of molecular system are highly consistent with the morphological characteristics of these species. The distribution area of a species has an important influence on their interspecific differentiation. Dating and historical biogeography analyses suggest an early Miocene origin of the genus. Some ancestors of the genus Diestramima have been distributed in Guangxi, Yunnan province and other regions of China at this time. In the late Miocene, the genus Diestramima dispersed from the low mountain and hilly areas of Guizhou, Guizhou and Hunan to inland China. With the uplift of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the drop in temperature in the Neogene leading to the divergence within this genus. Diestramima gradually spread from Guangxi and Yunnan to Chinese inland area. Quaternary glaciation determines their current geographical distribution pattern. Southeast Asia is the most likely original place of the genus Diestramima.