Data from: Phylogenomics using formalin-fixed and 100+ year old intractable natural history specimens

Museum specimens provide a wealth of information to biologists, but
obtaining genetic data from formalin-fixed and fluid-preserved specimens
remains challenging. While DNA sequences have been recovered from such
specimens, most approaches are time-consuming and produce low data quality
and quantity. Here we use a modified DNA extraction protocol combined with
high-throughput sequencing to recover DNA from formalin-fixed and
fluid-preserved snakes that were collected over a century ago and for
which little or no modern genetic materials exist in public collections.
We successfully extracted DNA and sequenced ultraconserved elements (x̄ =
2,318 loci) from 10 fluid-preserved snakes and included them in a
phylogeny with modern samples. This phylogeny demonstrates the general use
of such specimens in phylogenomic studies and provides evidence for the
placement of enigmatic snakes, such as the rare and never-before sequenced
Indian Xylophis stenorhynchus. Our study emphasizes the relevance of
museum collections in modern research and simultaneously provides a
protocol that may prove useful for specimens that have been previously
intractable for DNA sequencing.