CaBri Montano, Utah Valley University
Objective: This study will elucidate relationships of the family Ameletopsidae and other related mayfly families. We will specifically test the monophyly of the family Ameletopsidae. Introduction: Ameletopsidae is a distinct family of mayflies that exhibit carnivorous and predatory behavior, which is rare among mayflies. The family consists of 5 genera: Mirawara, Ameletopsis,Chiloporter, Chaquihua, and Promirara (extinct) all of which are found in the southern hemisphere (Mercado & Elliot, 2005), supporting the gondwanan hypothesis of biogeographic distribution. While Ameletopsidae exhibits similar morphology and behavior (carnivorous), molecular phylogenetic analyses have not strongly supported the monophyly of the group and its position within the mayflies (Ogden et. al. 2009). Methods: The dataset consists of 21 ingroup (including all four ameltopsid genera) and 1 outgroup taxa. DNA was extracted from all mayfly specimens. Next, the DNA was amplified using polymerase chain reactions (PCR) and successful amplicons were visualized using gel electrophoresis. Samples were prepared and sent off for sequencing. Five genes were targeted for these sequencing efforts: Histone 3, Mitochondrial 16S rDNA, Mitochondrial 12S rDNA, Nuclear 18S rDNA, and Nuclear 28S rDNA. Additionally, we included RNA-seq data for 448 loci recently generated in the Ogden Lab. The data were analyzed using bioinformatics software to align sequences and reconstruct phylogenetic trees. Results: The five traditional genes did not support the monophyly of the family when including all four taxa. Specifically, Mirawara was not found to be monophyletic with the rest of the family grouping. However, the RNA-seq data yielded a different result: Mirawara was supported as nesting within the rest of the genera of the family. Therefore, this data demonstrates that although using traditional genes is usually a reliable method when attempting to elucidate genera relationships, they can be misleading.