Phylogenomic inference of the higher classification of velvet ants (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae)

The family Mutillidae (Hymenoptera) is a species-rich group of aculeate wasps that occur worldwide. The higher-level classification of the family has historically been controversial due, in part, to the extreme sexual dimorphism exhibited by these insects and their morphological similarity to other wasp taxa that also have apterous females. Modern hypotheses on the internal higher classification of Mutillidae have been exclusively based on morphology and, further, they include Myrmosinae as a mutillid subfamily. In contrast, several molecular-based family-level studies of Aculeata recovered Myrmosinae as a nonmutillid taxon. To test the validity of these morphology-based classifications and the phylogenetic placement of the controversial taxon Myrmosinae, a phylogenomic study of Mutillidae was conducted using ultraconserved elements (UCEs).

All alignments, tree files, XML file, and contig assemblies (SPAdes and Trinity) used for (or produced by) this study are included here. A specimen data table is also included.