Data from: Are Miquihuana rhadiniformis Barr, 1982 and Pseudamara arenaria (LeConte, 1847) (Coleoptera, Carabidae) sphodrines? Phylogenetic analysis of data from next-generation sequencing of museum specimens resolves the tribal-group relationships of these enigmatic taxa

Miquihuana rhadiniformis Barr, 1982 and Pseudamara arenaria (LeConte,
1847) are enigmatic North American carabid beetles whose tribal-group
placement has been in doubt. Both are currently placed in Sphodrini,
although Pseudamara has typically been placed in Zabrini by most authors.
As these species are relatively rarely collected, neither Miquihuana Barr,
1982 nor Pseudamara Lindroth, 1968 have been sampled in previous
phylogenetic studies and attempts to obtain DNA sequences through standard
PCR of available specimens failed. We used Illumina sequencing to recover
nuclear gene fragments (18S rDNA, 28S rDNA, wingless, and CAD) from pinned
M. rhadiniformis and 70%-ethanol-preserved P. arenaria. Combining these
data with data from exemplar taxa from Sphodrini, Zabrini, Pterostichini,
Platynini, and other, putatively related tribes, we examine the tribal
relationships of Miquihuana and Pseudamara. The phylogenetic
reconstructions consistently and with high support place M. rhadiniformis
with other sphodrines excluding Atranopsina. There is evidence that
Miquihuana is a distinct lineage from Sphodrina, but its placement varies
among the single gene analyses. Pseudamara arenaria is not a sphodrine, as
it nests within Zabrini, supporting the traditional placement. We transfer
Pseudamara back to Zabrini based on these molecular data and we present
additional morphological insights corroborating these results.