<b>Mitochondrial phylogenomics brings new light to evolutionary relationships of uncertain taxa within the Culicidae family tree</b>

Mitochondrial molecular markers are widely used in phylogenetic reconstruction due to their balance between ease of recovery and species discrimination efficiency. However, inferring deep evolutionary relationships using one or few partial mitochondrial markers remains challenging due to signal saturation over time, often resulting in low phylogenetic support. To address gaps in the phylogeny of Culicidae, we conducted phylogenomic analyses using complete mitochondrial genomes, either newly sequenced or obtained from public databases including previously non-studied species. We performed three analyses based on different datasets: (1) whole mitogenome nucleotide sequences, (2) partitioned nucleotide sequences of protein-coding genes (PCGs), and (3) concatenated predicted proteins. We assembled six mitogenomes, three of them for the first time: <i>Ma. wilsoni</i>, <i>Cq. hermanoi</i>, <i>Cx. taeniopus</i>, <i>Ae. angustivittatus</i>, <i>Cx. erythrothorax</i>, and <i>Wy. smithii</i>. Our phylogenetic analysis, including a wider taxon sampling, suggests the inclusion of <i>Lutzia</i> within <i>Culex</i> as a subgenus rather than a separate genus. The placement of <i>Toxorhynchites</i> aligned with previous studies but showed higher support, likely due to broader taxon sampling. <i>Mansonia</i> and <i>Coquillettidia</i> consistently grouped within their expected tribe across all analyses. This study provides a more robust and resolved phylogenetic framework for Culicidae, refining the positioning of historically uncertain taxa within the family.