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Abstract The genus Plautia (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) encompasses multiple major agricultural pests, yet its taxonomy has long relied solely on morphological characters. This approach often overlooks cryptic species due to high morphological similarity, leading to taxonomic uncertainties. We used an integrative approach—combining morphological traits, mitochondrial data (13 protein-coding genes, COX1 barcodes), and nuclear Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) generated via double-digest restriction site-associated DNA sequencing to delimit Plautia species from China. Molecular phylogenies (Bayesian Inference/Maximum Likelihood) recovered 3 major clades within Chinese Plautia. Multi-method species delimitation (Automatic Barcode Gap Discovery, Assemble Species by Automatic Partitioning, Bayesian Poisson Tree Processes, Generalized Mixed Yule Coalescent, BPP, sparse non-negative matrix factorization, discriminant analysis of principal components, Bayes Factor Delimitation, hierarchical heuristic species delimitation) identified 10 distinct species, including 2 new species (Plautia xizangensis Zhang and Bu, sp. nov. from Xizang and Plautia bameiensis Zhang and Bu, sp. nov. from Yunnan), 1 new Chinese record (Plautia southwoodi), and 1 subspecies elevated to species (P. yunnanensis stat. nov.). Divergence time estimation linked the Oligocene diversification of Plautia to the uplift of the Hengduan Mountains, and Age-Range-Correlation analysis supported allopatric/parapatric speciation driven by geographic isolation and elevational niche differentiation. Our findings demonstrate the effectiveness of integrative taxonomy and multi-locus molecular data for precise species identification, especially in delimiting closely related taxa. Furthermore, this study provides new insights into the significant role of the uplift of the Hengduan Mountains in promoting speciation processes in the mountainous regions of southwestern China.
Y et al. (Fri,) studied this question.