Data from: Advancing mite phylogenomics: designing ultraconserved elements for Acari phylogeny

Mites (Acari) are one of the most diverse groups of life on Earth, yet
their evolutionary relationships are poorly understood. Also, the
resolution of broader arachnid phylogeny has been hindered by an
underrepresentation of mite diversity in phylogenomic analyses. To further
our understanding of Acari evolution,we design targeted ultraconserved
genomic elements (UCEs) probes, intended for resolving the complex
relationships between mite lineages and closely related arachnids. We then
test our Acari UCE baits in-silico by constructing a phylogeny using 13
existing Acari genomes, as well as 6 additional taxa from a variety of
genomic sources. Our Acari-specific probe kit improves the recovery of
loci within mites over an existing general arachnid UCE probe set. Our
initial phylogeny recovers the major mite lineages, yet finds mites to be
non-monophyletic overall, with Opiliones (harvestmen) and Ricinuleidae
(hooded tickspiders) rendering Parasitiformes paraphyletic.