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Phylogenomics seeks to use next‐generation data to robustly infer an organism's evolutionary history. Yet, the practical caveats of phylogenomics motivate investigation of improved efficiency, particularly when quality of phylogenies are questionable. To achieve improvements, one goal is to maintain or enhance the quality of phylogenetic inference while severely reducing dataset size. We approach this by assessing which kinds of loci in phylogenomic alignments provide the majority of support for a phylogenetic inference of cockroaches in Blaberoidea. We examine locus substitution rate, saturation, evolutionary divergence, rate heterogeneity, stabilizing selection, and a priori information content as traits that may determine optimality. Our controlled experimental design is based on 265 loci for 102 blaberoidean taxa and 22 outgroup species. Loci with high substitution rate, low saturation, low sequence distance, low rate heterogeneity, and strong stabilizing selection derive more support for phylogenetic relationships. We found that some phylogenetic information content estimators may not be meaningful for assessing information content a priori. We use these findings to design concatenated datasets with an optimized subsample of 100 loci. The tree inferred from the optimized subsample alignment was largely identical to that inferred from all 265 loci but with less evidence of long branch attraction, improved statistical support, and potential 4‐6x improvements to computation time. Supported by phylogenetic and morphological evidence, we erect three newly named clades (Anallactinae Evangelista & Wipfler subfam. nov., Orkrasomeria tax. nov. Evangelista, Wipfler, & Béthoux and Hemithyrsocerini Evangelista tribe nov.) and propose other taxonomic modifications. The diagnosis of Pseudophyllodromiidae Grandcolas, 1996 is modified to accommodate Anallactinae and Pseudophyllodromiinae Vickery & Kevan, 1983. The diagnosis of Ectobiidae Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1865 is modified to add novel morphological characters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Old‐World Tropics encompass many unique biomes and associated biotas shaped by drastic climate and geological changes throughout the Cenozoic. Disjunct distributions of clades between the Afrotropics and the Oriental regions are testament to these changes. Awl and policeman skippers (Hesperiidae: Coeliadinae) are disjunctly distributed with some genera endemic to the Afrotropics and others restricted to the Oriental and Australian regions. We reconstruct the phylogeny of these butterflies using target exon capture phylogenomics. We also generate a dated framework for this clade that uses the putatively oldest known butterfly fossil to estimate the historical biogeography of Coeliadinae using a model‐based approach. We infer a stable and robust phylogeny for the subfamily, with all but one Afrotropical lineage forming a derived clade. The African genus Pyrrhiadessyn. nov. is placed in synonymy with Coeliades to accommodate the new phylogeny. Our comparative dating exercise casts doubt on the assignment of the fossil Protocoeliades kristenseni as a derived Coeliadinae and suggests, along with our biogeographic estimation, a split of Coeliadinae from the rest of skippers in the Palaeocene ca. 70 million years ago. The origin of crown Coeliadinae skippers is estimated in Indomalaya during the late Eocene ca. 36 million years ago, with subsequent Oligocene colonisation events toward the Australian region and the Afrotropics. Colonisation of the Afrotropics from the Indian region occurred during climatic transition, associated biome shifts, and the closure of the Tethys Ocean, which likely allowed geodispersal through the Arabian Peninsula. The current disjunct distribution of Coeliadinae in the Old World Tropics may result from the emergence of savannahs in the Miocene that progressively replaced woodlands and forests in the Arabian Peninsula and western Asia. Coeliadinae skippers are almost exclusively dicot feeders and were likely extirpated as grasslands became dominant, resulting in the present‐day disjunct distribution of these butterflies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The subfamily Geometrinae (Lepidoptera: Geometridae), commonly known as emerald moths, is an ecologically diverse group of moths with over 2,500 described species. Many taxonomic and phylogenetic studies of Geometrinae have been undertaken in the past decade, resulting in hundreds of new taxonomic changes since online publication of the most recent checklist in December 2007. New information: This review synthesises the last 12 years of alpha-taxonomic research in Geometrinae. A comprehensive list of Geometrinae genus- and species-group descriptions, synonymies, combinations and other taxonomic changes, made since 2007, is provided. Since 2007, the known species richness of Geometrinae has increased from 2,529 to 2,642 species; an updated list of all these species is presented in a supplementary spreadsheet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over 300 million arthropod specimens are housed in North American natural history collections. These collections represent a “vast hidden treasure trove” of biodiversity −95% of the specimen label data have yet to be transcribed for research, and less than 2% of the specimens have been imaged. Specimen labels contain crucial information to determine species distributions over time and are essential for understanding patterns of ecology and evolution, which will help assess the growing biodiversity crisis driven by global change impacts. Specimen images offer indispensable insight and data for analyses of traits, and ecological and phylogenetic patterns of biodiversity. Here, we review North American arthropod collections using two key metrics, specimen holdings and digitization efforts, to assess the potential for collections to provide needed biodiversity data. We include data from 223 arthropod collections in North America, with an emphasis on the United States. Our specific findings are as follows: (1) The majority of North American natural history collections (88%) and specimens (89%) are located in the United States. Canada has comparable holdings to the United States relative to its estimated biodiversity. Mexico has made the furthest progress in terms of digitization, but its specimen holdings should be increased to reflect the estimated higher Mexican arthropod diversity. The proportion of North American collections that has been digitized, and the number of digital records available per species, are both much lower for arthropods when compared to chordates and plants. (2) The National Science Foundation’s decade-long ADBC program (Advancing Digitization of Biological Collections) has been transformational in promoting arthropod digitization. However, even if this program became permanent, at current rates, by the year 2050 only 38% of the existing arthropod specimens would be digitized, and less than 1% would have associated digital images. (3) The number of specimens in collections has increased by approximately 1% per year over the past 30 years. We propose that this rate of increase is insufficient to provide enough data to address biodiversity research needs, and that arthropod collections should aim to triple their rate of new specimen acquisition. (4) The collections we surveyed in the United States vary broadly in a number of indicators. Collectively, there is depth and breadth, with smaller collections providing regional depth and larger collections providing greater global coverage. (5) Increased coordination across museums is needed for digitization efforts to target taxa for research and conservation goals and address long-term data needs. Two key recommendations emerge: collections should significantly increase both their specimen holdings and their digitization efforts to empower continental and global biodiversity data pipelines, and stimulate downstream research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]