A phylogenomic perspective on the evolutionary history of the stonefly genus Suwallia (Plecoptera: Chloroperlidae) revealed by ultraconserved genomic elements

<p>Evolutionary biologists have long sought to disentangle phylogenetic relationships among taxa spanning the tree of life, an increasingly important task as anthropogenic influences have caused, and are expected to continue to cause, population declines and species extinctions, particularly in insects. Advances in DNA sequencing techniques have increasingly facilitated the ability of researchers to apply genomic methods to phylogenetic analyses, even for non-model organisms which have historically lacked the genomic resources to do so. Phylogenetic relationships within the stonefly genus <i>Suwallia</i> (Insecta: Plecoptera: Chloroperlidae) are poorly understood, and have never been assessed using molecular data. We used DNA sequence data from genome-wide ultraconserved element loci to generate the first molecular phylogeny for the group and assess its monophyly. Our results reveal that the monospecific chloroperlid <i>Neaviperla forcipata</i> renders <i>Suwallia</i> paraphyletic, and we recommend a taxonomic revision for its inclusion in <i>Suwallia</i>. We also found that Palearctic and Nearctic <i>Suwallia</i> do not form reciprocally monophyletic clades, and that a biogeographic history including dispersal, vicariance, and founder event speciation via jump dispersal best explains the geographic distribution of this group. Moreover, some <i>Suwallia</i> species (e.g., <i>S. amoenacolens</i>, <i>S. kerzhneri</i>, <i>S. marginata, S. pallidula, </i>and<i> S. starki</i>) exhibit pronounced cryptic diversity that is worthy of further investigation. These findings provide a first glimpse into the evolutionary history of <i>Suwallia</i>, improve our understanding of stonefly diversity, and highlight areas where additional research is needed.</p>