Molecular insights into the phylogeny of Caribbean entimine weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Entiminae)

Weevils in the subfamily Entiminae are generally known for their root-feeding larvae, relatively broad host ranges, and high diversity throughout the world (> 12,000 species described to date). Ongoing efforts to study the systematics and evolution of Caribbean weevils in the Exophthalmus Schoenherr genus complex have led us to reexamine the outdated tribal-level placements of a series of related lineages that are represented in this region. Specifically, we present a molecular phylogenetic analysis of at least 15 genera and more than 50 species of Caribbean entimines using the mitochondrial COI and nuclear EF-Iα genes. The sampling includes members of the tribes Eustylini, Geonemini, Naupactini, Polydrusini, and Tanymecini; and covers a wide range of habitats on the islands of Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Greater Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and St. Lucia. As expected, phylogenetic reconstructions cannot recover any of the traditional tribal concepts as monophyletic, although many of the obtained groupings are consistent with independently scrutinized morphological evidence. We present preliminary insights into the likely mechanisms of diversification in these lineages, based on mappings of host plant relations and formal historical biogeographic inferences.