UCE Phylogenomics resolves relationships among pterocommatine aphid genera: resurrecting the Pterocommatini (Hemiptera: Aphididae: Aphidinae)

The phylogenetic position of the aphid genus Pterocomma and several related genera has been subject of much uncertainty over the last century. Collectively referred to as the pterocommatine genera, this group has been treated as a distinct subfamily, both with and without association with the Aphidinae, as a distinct tribe within the Aphidinae, along with the tribes Aphidini and Macrosiphini, and is currently treated as separate genera within the Macrosiphini. While prior hypotheses on the higher-level relationships of the Aphididae have relied on morphological characterizations and single- or multi-gene DNA sequencing, few studies have employed genome-wide approaches. Here, we use targeted enrichment of up to 2731 ultra-conserved elements totaling over 400 kb of nucleotide sequence across 400+ taxa and representing approximately 25% of known aphid genera to reconstruct the aphid phylogeny. Our study confirms that the Pterocommatini should be treated as a distinct tribe within the Aphidinae, and that it includes the genus Cavariella. Moreover, the tribe shares a common ancestor with the previously recognized subtribe Liosomaphidina, and together these with the genus Capitophorus form a lineage distinct from the Macrosiphini and Aphidini. Among other taxonomic implications, our study identifies a need for a revised classification for the Aphidinae.