Comparative diversification of mesquite-feeding seed beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Bruchinae)

Seed beetles have independently colonized mesquite (genus Prosopis) on multiple occasions in both North and South America. These convergent colonizations allow for an unusual comparative survey to examine whether or not there is some predictability to macroevolution. We address questions as to whether (1) colonization of mesquites happens in a convergent manner and (2) whether the subsequent diversification of these lineages follows a similar pattern of host‐based and/or geographic structure. Based on molecular phylogenetics and dated diversification analyses we show that colonization and diversification is largely constrained to a window of 5-5.5 mya, the same time at which Prosopis diversified in the Americas.