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 ph...