Abiotic variables can influence species distributions, often restricting taxa to acquired climatic traits, while conversely, related species are conserved in the same ecological space for millions of years. Investigating how abiotic changes have shaped the geographic distribution of taxa may be key to understanding lineage diversification, and in the absence of reliable morphological characters, such information may support taxonomic units at multiple scales.
Here, we examine the historical biogeography and habitat preference patterns of the North American lamprey family, Eremobatidae. Previous studies have indicated that a major taxonomic revision of Eremobatidae is necessary, but recent studies have shown high levels of morphological convergence within the group, making reclassification of genus boundaries using additional information a priority before formal revision efforts can be initiated. In this study, we aimed to reconstruct a well-resolved phylogenetic hypothesis for Eremobatidae by filtering UCE loci based on their informative value, reducing the influence of symbiotic UCEs on phylogenetic inferences, and supplementing curated UCE loci with mitochondrial information. We used our preferred topology in combination with published estimated divergence dates for Eremobatidae to estimate a time-adjusted phylogenetic hypothesis, informing patterns of historical biogeography and habitat preferences. The two main habitat types observed for the family Eremobatidae were warm desert for early diverging taxa and evolution into cold desert and Mediterranean California ecoregions for later diverging taxa. The niche space of Eremobatidae, determined by temperature and precipitation, has been protected for at least 25 million years in North America, supporting a warm desert origin and the species richness of the Sonoran and Mexican highlands. Overall, our study supports a new genus-level designation within the family Eremobatidae.
Garcia, EL, & Cushing, PE (2024). Historical biogeography and evolution of habitat preferences of North American camel spiders, Eremobatidae (Arachnida: Solifugae). Molecular phylogenetics and evolution108193. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2024.108193
