Phylogenomics indicates Amazonia as the major source of Neotropical swarm-founding social wasp diversity.

ABSTRACT: The Neotropical realm harbours unparalleled species richness and hence has challenged biologists to explain the cause of its high biotic diversity. Empirical studies to shed light on the processes underlying biological diversification in the Neotropics are focused mainly on vertebrates and plants, with little attention to the hyperdiverse insect fauna. Here, we use phylogenomic data from ultraconserved element (UCE) loci to reconstruct for the first time the evolutionary history of Neotropical swarm-founding social wasps (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Epiponini). Using maximum likelihood, Bayesian, and species tree approaches we recovered a highly resolved phylogeny for epiponine wasps. Additionally, we estimated divergence dates, diversification rates, and the biogeographic history for these ins

SUBMITTER: Menezes RST 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7341933 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature