Data from: Phylogenomics of endangered troglobiotic rove beetles (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae) from central Texas karst regions
Data files
Mar 09, 2026 version files 83.30 MB
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BATE_BACR_RSNP.vcf
109.26 KB
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Batrisodes_50p_partitions.txt.contree
2.51 KB
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Batrisodes_50p.phy
34.33 MB
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Batrisodes_75p_partitions.txt.contree
2.51 KB
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Batrisodes_75p.phy
30.75 MB
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Batrisodes_95p_ASTRAL-IV.tre
6.54 KB
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Batrisodes_95p_partitions.txt.contree
2.51 KB
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Batrisodes_95p.phy
17.42 MB
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Batrisodes_genetrees.treefile
673.90 KB
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README.md
2.12 KB
Abstract
The karst habitats of central Texas, USA, support a diverse assemblage of endemic subterranean-obligate (troglobiotic) invertebrates, including several species of rove beetles (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae). This study generated a molecular dataset using sequence capture of Ultra-Conserved Elements (UCEs) to investigate species relationships and diversification patterns within this group. The analysis focused on species of the genera Batrisodes and Texamaurops, with particular attention to the federally endangered species Batrisodes texanus and Batrisodes cryptotexanus. Within the Travis and Williamson County cave-dwelling lineages, four well-supported clades were identified that broadly correspond to previously recognized geologic barriers to dispersal defined as karst fauna regions (KFRs). The results indicate a northward pattern of diversification among these lineages. The clades correspond to: (A) Texamaurops reddelli in the Jollyville Plateau KFR; (B) Batrisodes reyesi in the West Cedar Park and Post Oak Ridge KFRs; (C) Batrisodes reyesi in the McNeil–Round Rock KFR; and (D) a combined lineage of Batrisodes cryptotexanus and Batrisodes texanus in the Georgetown and North Williamson KFRs. However, the morphologically defined species Batrisodes texanus and Batrisodes cryptotexanus were not recovered as reciprocally monophyletic in phylogenetic analyses and did not form two distinct groups in clustering analyses of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Instead, the results supported the presence of five major subclades and five to seven genetic clusters. These patterns suggest that diversification and subsequent isolation of lineages likely occurred as karst habitats became progressively available over time within the North Williamson and Georgetown KFRs, influenced by geological processes such as faulting, structural changes, and drainage basin evolution. Comparisons with cave habitat resiliency assessments indicated that four genetic clusters occur within habitats that retain at least partial resilience, whereas three clusters are restricted to caves with low or impaired resiliency. Overall, integrating the genetic findings of this study with results from other molecular studies of co-occurring troglobiotic invertebrates highlights the importance of considering additional geological substructure within the North Williamson KFR when developing conservation strategies for these rare subterranean lineages and their habitats.
Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.djh9w0wcg
Description of the data and file structure
Genomic alignments of UCEs and phylogenetic tree files. Data files containing alignment matrices and phylogenetic trees based on ultra-conserved elements and single-nucleotide polymorphisms for the endangered troglobiotic rove beetles (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae) from central Texas karst regions.
The final dataset included 69 individuals representing two genera (Batrisodes with five species and Texamaurops with one species) collected from 34 localities. Molecular analyses were based on 658,560 aligned base pairs across 672 UCE loci. Both concatenated and species-tree phylogenetic analyses recovered all troglobiotic taxa as a monophyletic group.
Files and variables
File: BATE_BACR_RSNP.vcf
Description: Variant Calling format file of a single random SNP extracted for each UCE locus (493 SNPs) for Batrisodes texanusandd B. cryptotexanus.
File: Batrisodes_50p_partitions.txt.contree
Description: Maximum likelihood consensus tree based on 549 loci for IQ-TREE.
File: Batrisodes_75p_partitions.txt.contree
Description: Maximum likelihood consensus tree based on 483 loci for IQ-TREE.
File: Batrisodes_95p_ASTRAL-IV.tre
Description: ASTRAL-IV species tree based on 294 Maximum likelihood genetrees from the IQ-TREE output.
File: Batrisodes_95p_partitions.txt.contree
Description: Maximum likelihood consensus tree based on 280 loci for IQ-TREE.
File: Batrisodes_50p.phy
Description: Alignment based on 549 loci for IQ-TREE.
File: Batrisodes_genetrees.treefile
Description: Maximum likelihood genetrees estimated in IQ-TREE for the Batrisodes_95p alignment of 294 loci.
File: Batrisodes_75p.phy
Description: Alignment based on 483 loci for IQ-TREE.
File: Batrisodes_95p.phy
Description: Alignment based on 294 loci for IQ-TREE.
