Data from: Phylogenomics recovers multiple origins of portable case-making in caddisflies (Insecta: Trichoptera), nature’s underwater architects

Caddisflies (Trichoptera) are among the most diverse groups of freshwater
animals with more than 16,000 described species. They play a fundamental
role in freshwater ecology and environmental engineering in streams,
rivers, and lakes. Because of this, they are frequently used as indicator
organisms in biomonitoring programs. Despite their importance, key
questions concerning the evolutionary history of caddisflies, such as the
timing and origin of larval case-making, remain unanswered due to the lack
of a well-resolved phylogeny. Here, we estimated a phylogenetic tree using
a combination of transcriptomes and targeted enrichment data for 207
species, representing 48 of 52 extant families and 174 genera. We
calibrated and dated the tree with 33 carefully selected fossils. The
first caddisflies originated ~295 million years ago in the Permian, and
major suborders began to diversify in the Triassic. Further, we show that
portable case-making evolved in three separate lineages, and shifts in
diversification occurred in concert with key evolutionary innovations
beyond case-making.