Sequence capture phylogenomics of historical ethanol-preserved museum specimens: unlocking the rest of the vault

Natural history collections play a crucial role in biodiversity research and museum specimens are increasingly being incorporated into modern genetics-based studies. Sequence capture methods have proven incredibly useful for phylogenomics, providing the additional ability to sequence historical museum specimens with highly degraded DNA, which until recently have been deemed less valuable for genetic work. The successful sequencing of ultraconserved elements (UCEs) from historical museum specimens has been demonstrated on multiple tissue types including dried bird skins, formalin-fixed squamates, and pinned insects. However, no study has thoroughly demonstrated this approach for historical ethanol-preserved museum specimens. Alongside sequencing of “fresh” specimens preserved in >95% ethanol and stored at -80 ºC, we used extraction techniques specifically designed for degraded DNA coupled with sequence capture protocols to sequence UCEs from historical museum specimens preserved in 70...