Phylogeny, biogeography, and diversification of mesquite-feeding seed beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Bruchinae)

Mesquites (legume trees and shrubs in the genus Prosopis) are dominant members of arid and semi-arid ecosystems in both South America and North America. They produce their highly nutritious, relatively non-toxic fruits in large quantities at predictable intervals. These qualities allow mesquites to disperse their seeds through mutualisms with vertebrates, thus facilitating the reproductive success of mesquites. However, these characteristics also cause mesquites to be vulnerable to attack by insect seed predators. The most notable of these are multiple genera within the seed beetles (Chrysomelidae: Bruchinae). In this phylogenetic analysis we show that mesquites have been colonized multiple times by bruchines, and we compare patterns of diversification within and among North American and South American taxa.