De Novo Whole Genome Assemblies of Unusual Case-Making Caddisflies (Trichoptera) Highlight Genomic Convergence in the Composition of the Major Silk Gene (h-fibroin).
Trichoptera (caddisflies) is one of the most species-rich orders of aquatic insects. Species of caddisflies cover a broad ecological diversity as exemplified by various uses of underwater silk secretions. Diversity of silk use generally aligns with the evolution of major caddisfly lineages, specifically at the subordinal level: Annulipalpia (retreat makers) and Integripalpia (cocoon and tube-case makers). However, silk use within suborders differs for a few exceptional species in these clades. In this study, we provide the first whole genome assemblies and annotations for two unusual Integripalpia species: Limnocentropus insolitus, whose hard tube-case is anchored to boulders by a rigid, elongated silken stalk, and Phryganopsyche brunnea which builds a "floppy" cylindrical case that lacks the typical robustness of tube-cases. Its texture rather resembles that of the flexible retreats built by Annulipalpia. Using the two high-quality genome assemblies, we identified and annotated the major silk gene, h-fibroin, and compared its amino acid composition across various groups, including retreat, cocoon, and tube-case makers. Our phylogenetic analysis confirmed the phylogenetic position of the two species in the tube-case-making clade. The major silk gene of L. insolitus shows a similar amino acid composition to other tube-case-making species. In contrast, the amino acid composition of P. brunnea resembles that of retreat-making species, in particular with regard to the high content of proline. This is consistent with the hypothesis that proline could be linked to enhanced extensibility of silk fibers. Taken together, our results underscore the role of silk genes in shaping the evolutionary ecology of retreat- and tube-case-making in caddisflies.