The good, the brown, and the ugly: Biogeography of little brown wasps (Hymenoptera: Chyphotidae)

Nocturnal wasps in the family Chyphotidae (Hymenoptera) are endemic to the New World. Chyphotidae can be found from Southern Canada to Argentina, with the majority of species occurring in the southwestern United States. Three species Chyphotes incredulus Mickel, C. mellipes (Blake), and C. atriceps Mickel are widespread across the western states and, therefore, are ideal for studying biogeographic hypotheses. Using these three species we investigate what past geological events shaped their current distributions and impacted their phylogeographic patterns seen today. Bayesian analysis of mitochondrial data (COI) and nuclear data (opsin) were completed to generate the first phylogeny for the family; based on this phylogeny, dates for each species were determined. For each species, specimens were sampled across a variety of ecoregions and a phylogeny with dates of major speciation events were generated using BEAST. Shared dates of divergence were compared to major historical events, both climate and geological. The resulting shared patterns and events impacting population evolution will be discussed.