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Data from: Phylogenetics, delimitation and historical biogeography of the pantropical tree genus Thespesia (Malvaceae, Gossypieae)

Cite this dataset

Areces-Berazain, Fabiola; Ackerman, James D. (2017). Data from: Phylogenetics, delimitation and historical biogeography of the pantropical tree genus Thespesia (Malvaceae, Gossypieae) [Dataset]. Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.sv164

Abstract

Thespesia consists of 16 species of trees and shrubs from Southeast Asia–Oceania, Africa and America, the most well known being T. populnea, a small tree of tropical coastal areas around the world. Phylogenetic relationships in the genus and among its allies in tribe Gossypieae were inferred using three plastid and two nuclear regions to ascertain its generic delimitation and explore its biogeographical history. Maximum-likelihood and Bayesian analyses confirmed that Thespesia is not monophyletic and, based on these results, Azanza is reinstated to accommodate the two species previously placed in Thespesia section Lampas. Dating analyses and ancestral range estimation indicated that Thespesia s.s. most likely originated in Southeast Asia–Oceania c. 30 Mya, but extant species did not begin to differentiate until the late Miocene. Two dispersal events, one into Africa c. 11 Mya and another into America (Antilles) c. 9 Mya, gave rise to the African and the Greater Antillean endemics, respectively. The two most widespread hydrochorous species, T. populnea and T. populneoides, originated in Southeast Asia–Oceania from where they spread to other parts of the world. Our analysis also indicated a much earlier origin than previously reported for Eumalvoideae and its tribes, suggesting that vicariance might have had an important role early in the history of these groups.

Usage notes

Location

Greater Antilles
Central America and the Caribbean
Africa
Southeast Asia and Oceania