The family Mutillidae (Hymenoptera) is a species‐rich group of aculeate wasps that occur worldwide. The higher‐level classification of the family has historically been controversial due, in part, to the extreme sexual dimorphism exhibited by these insects and their morphological similarity to other wasp taxa that also have apterous females. Modern hypotheses on the internal higher classification of Mutillidae have been exclusively based on morphology and, further, they include Myrmosinae as a mutillid subfamily. In contrast, several molecular‐based family‐level studies of Aculeata recovered Myrmosinae as a nonmutillid taxon. To test the validity of these morphology‐based classifications and the phylogenetic placement of the controversial taxon Myrmosinae, a phylogenomic study of Mutillidae was conducted using ultraconserved elements (UCEs). All currently recognized subfamilies and tribes of Mutillidae were represented in this study using 140 ingroup taxa. The maximum likelihood criterion (ML) and the maximum parsimony criterion (MP) were used to infer the phylogenetic relationships within the family and related taxa using an aligned data set of 238,764 characters; the topologies of these respective analyses were largely congruent. The modern higher classification of Mutillidae, based on morphology, is largely congruent with the phylogenomic results of this study at the subfamily level, whereas the tribal classification is poorly supported. The subfamily Myrmosinae was recovered as sister to Sapygidae in the ML analysis and sister to Sapygidae + Pompilidae in the MP analysis; it is consequently raised to the family level, Myrmosidae,
- Award ID(s):
- 1656111
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10250791
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Zootaxa
- Volume:
- 4734
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 1175-5326
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 1 to 61
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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Abstract stat.nov. The two constituent tribes of Myrmosidae are raised to the subfamily level, Kudakrumiinae,stat.nov. , and Myrmosinae,stat.nov. All four recognized tribes of Mutillinae were found to be non‐monophyletic; three additional mutilline clades were recovered in addition to Ctenotillini, Mutillini, Smicromyrmini, and Trogaspidiini sensu stricto. Three new tribes are erected for members of these clades: Pristomutillini Waldren,trib.nov. , Psammothermini Waldren,trib.nov. , and Zeugomutillini Waldren,trib.nov. All three recognized tribes of Sphaeropthalminae were found to be non‐monophyletic; six additional sphaeropthalmine clades were recovered in addition to Dasymutillini, Pseudomethocini, and Sphaeropthalmini sensu stricto. The subtribe Ephutina of Mutillinae: Mutillini was found to be polyphyletic, with theEphuta genus‐group recovered within Sphaeropthalminae and theOdontomutilla genus‐group recovered as sister to Myrmillinae + Mutillinae. Consequently, the subtribe Ephutina is transferred from Mutillinae: Mutillini and is raised to a tribe within Sphaeropthalminae, Ephutini,stat.nov. Further, the taxon Odontomutillinae,stat.nov. , is raised from a synonym of Ephutina to the subfamily level. The sphaeropthalmine tribe Pseudomethocini was found to be polyphyletic, with the subtribe Euspinoliina recovered as a separate clade in Sphaeropthalminae; consequently, Euspinoliina is raised to a tribe, Euspinoliini,stat.nov. , in Sphaeropthalminae. The dasylabrine tribe Apteromutillini was recovered within Dasylabrini and is proposed as a new synonym of Dasylabrinae. Finally, dating analyses were conducted to infer the ages of the Pompiloidea families (Mutillidae, Myrmosidae, Pompilidae, and Sapygidae) and the ages of the Mutillidae subfamilies and tribes. -
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Abstract Aim To test the importance of alternative diversification drivers and biogeographical processes for the evolution of Amazonian upland forest birds through a densely sampled analysis of diversification of the endemic Amazonian genus
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Taxon Antbirds (Thamnophilidae).
Methods We sequenced four mt
DNA and nuclear gene regions of 120 individuals from 50 localities representing all recognized species and subspecies of the genus. We performed molecular phylogenetic analyses using both gene tree and species tree methods, molecular dating analysis and estimated population demographic history and gene flow.Results Dense sampling throughout the distribution of
Rhegmatorhina revealed that the main Amazonian rivers delimit the geographic distribution of taxa as inferred from mtDNA lineages. Molecular phylogenetic analyses resulted in a strongly supported phylogenetic hypothesis for the genus, with two main clades currently separated by the Madeira River. Molecular dating analysis indicated diversification during the Quaternary. Reconstruction of recent demographic history of populations revealed a trend for population expansion in eastern Amazonia and stability in the west. Estimates of gene flow corroborate the possibility that migration after divergence had some influence on the current patterns of diversity.Main Conclusions Based on broad‐scale sampling, a clarification of taxonomic boundaries, and strongly supported phylogenetic relationships, we confirm that, first, mitochondrial lineages within this upland forest Amazonian bird genus agree with spatial patterns known for decades based on phenotypes, and second, that most lineages are geographically delimited by the large Amazonian rivers. The association between past demographic changes related to palaeoclimatic cycles and the historically varying strength and size of rivers as barriers to dispersal may be the path to the answer to the long‐standing question of identifying the main drivers of Amazonian diversification.
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Abstract Premise The ~140 species of
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Lonicera using restriction site–associated DNA sequencing (RADSeq), sampling all major clades and 18 of the 23 subsections. This provided the basis for inferring the evolution of five fusion‐related traits.Results RADSeq data yielded a well‐resolved and well‐supported phylogeny. The two traditionally recognized subgenera (
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Lonicera to date. Our inference of multiple evolutionary shifts in organ fusion provides a solid foundation for in depth developmental and functional analyses.
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4734.1.1
