Partial genome capture helps resolve the long-enigmatic higher phylogeny of longhorned beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae)

The longhorned beetle family Cerambycidae contains ~35,000 described extant species. Cerambycidae are cosmopolitan, but attain maximum species richness in the tropics. They are major recyclers of dead/dying wood and some species are serious pests of living plants. However, there are no comprehensive subfamily-level molecular phylogenetic studies of Cerambycidae, and the phylogenetic relationships among its subfamilies remain uncertain and widely debated. We reconstructed the phylogeny of Cerambycidae sensu lato (Cerambycidae sensu stricto plus the “cerambycoid” families Oxypeltidae, Vesperidae and Disteniidae) using a powerful new phylogenomic approach called anchored hybrid enrichment. Specifically, we analyzed data from ~700 1:1 orthologous nuclear loci sampled from across the genomes of our study species, to reconstruct the higher-level phylogeny of Cerambycidae sensu lato. Our taxon sample included representatives from all subfamilies of Cerambycidae and a diverse array of near relatives, including all other families and subfamilies of longhorned beetles (all other “cerambycoids”; all major groups of Cerambycidae sensu lato). The resulting phylogeny reveals several new and interesting relationships, while confirming some others previously predicted based on morphology. All relationships have very strong to maximal nodal support under maximum likelihood bootstrapping. Cerambycidae sensu lato was monophyletic with the inclusion of Orsodacnidae and Megalopodidae. Cerambycidae sensu stricto was also monophyletic, and was comprised of three main clades: (1) subfamilies Spondylidinae and Lamiinae as sister groups; (2) subfamilies Lepturinae and Necydalinae; and (3) subfamilies Cerambycinae, Dorcasominae, Prioninae, and Parandrinae (with Cerambycinae polyphyletic). Our results provide a statistically robust foundation for further study of cerambycid phylogeny, classification, and evolution.