2nd Place: Determining Minagenia (Hymenoptera:Pompilidae) phylogeny and biogeography using ultra-conserved elements

Monday, November 14, 2022

10:54 AM – 11:06 AM PT

Location: Vancouver Convention Centre, Meeting Room 207

Presenting Author(s)

Brenna L. Decker

Ph.D. Candidate
Utah State University
Logan, Utah

Co-Author(s)

ES

Emily Sadler

Utah State University
Logan, Utah
JP

James P. Pitts

Utah State University
Logan, Utah

Minagenia Banks, 1934 (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae: Pepsinae) are small spider wasps with a mostly southern hemisphere distribution and only 20 described species. Presented is a global phylogeny of Minagneia, using ultra-conserved elements (UCEs) from museum specimens, to infer biogeographical and distribution patterns. From preliminary analyses, the Center of Origin of this genus seems to be the Afrotropics (Madagascar, specifically). Long-distance dispersal (LDD) from the Afrotropics is the most likely dispersal method with many instances of jump dispersal back and forth between continents.