Data and code from: The evolution of proboscis length and feeding behavior in hawkmoths (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae)

Hawkmoths (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) display some of the most extraordinary
and iconic morphological adaptations. They are well known to have long
proboscides, which have evolved to obtain nectar from flowers with deep
tubes. Proboscides of some hawkmoths reach nearly five times their body
length, but other species have mouthparts that have become completely
non-functional. Adult nectar feeding is thought to have been gained and
lost multiple times across the family, but has never been formally tested.
Here, we examine this evolution of proboscis length and feeding behavior.
We constructed a dated phylogeny of Sphingidae using a 537-locus anchored
hybrid enrichment dataset, sampling 168 of the 205 sphingid genera (~82
%). We inferred a robust phylogeny and conducted ancestral state
reconstructions of adult feeding behavior, revealing the evolution of
feeding gains and losses. Our results show that adult feeding in hawkmoths
first evolved around 44 million years ago, with the sphingid subfamilies
diverging from one another during the Eocene. We found that hawkmoth
feeding behavior evolved independently, multiple times over the
evolutionary history of this family. This research provides a novel
contribution to understanding the evolution and ecology of an economically
and environmentally important insect lineage.