Data from: Ultraconserved elements reconstruct the evolution of the Chagas disease-vectoring kissing bugs (Reduviidae: Triatominae)

With about 150 species, Triatominae, the kissing bugs, are the largest
radiation of hematophagous species within the Hemiptera. Kissing bugs are
the sole vectors of the causative agent of Chagas disease, a tropical
neglected disease that affects millions, mostly in Central and South
America. Surprisingly, given the medical importance of this group, the
evolutionary origin of Triatominae from predatory assassin bug ancestors
is still under debate and phylogenetic relationships among and within the
five tribes of Triatominae are poorly understood. We here use a
combination of ultraconserved element (UCE) and ribosomal data generated
from ethanol-preserved and pinned museum specimens to generate the first
data-rich and taxonomically densely sampled, well-supported phylogenetic
hypothesis for this group of important human disease vectors. This study
is the first to include multiple species and/or genera of four of the five
currently recognized tribes and is significant in being the first
phylogeny to include substantial diversity of Old World Triatominae. We
examine tribal and generic concepts as well as species groups, subgroups,
complexes that are widely referred to in the epidemiological literature on
kissing bugs concluding that based on this dataset: 1) Triatominae are
monophyletic and Opisthacidius Berg is their predatory sister taxon; 2)
(Cavernicolini + Microtriatoma Prosen and Martinez [Bolboderini] +
Rhodniini) is the sister lineage of (Belminus Stål [Bolboderini] +
Triatomini); 3) the three large genera (Rhodnius Stål, Triatoma Laporte,
and Panstrongylus Berg) are paraphyletic, as previously suggested; 4)
Triatomini fall into nine well-supported clades, only two of which are
identical in composition to previously recognized groups; 5) the Old World
clade is nested within a clade also comprising the rubida and protracta
clades, and is sister to the protracta clade; 6) body size and shape, head
proportion, coloration, and several additional morphological features
evolved plastically in Triatominae, suggesting that most of them are
unsuitable for the diagnosis of higher taxonomic groups.