Around the world in 4,100 species: Historical biogeography of Mirinae (Hemiptera: Miridae)

Mirinae are the largest subfamily of the largest true bug family Miridae, or plant bugs (Hemiptera: Miridae). It is cosmopolitan and comprises over 350 genera and 4,100 species, extremely diverse morphologically. The subfamily also includes numerous pests, most of which are representatives of hyperdiverse genera (>50 species) and are naturally distributed in more than one biogeographic realm. On the other hand, some mirines are narrow endemics (e.g., Notholopisca californica (Knight, 1933): California and Arizona). This research presents the first dated phylogeny of the subfamily Mirinae, accompanied by the first historical biogeography analyses. With the vast molecular data from UCE loci and carefully picked fossils, it is an important step toward understanding the reasons behind the diversification and distribution patterns of one of the largest predominantly plant-feeding groups of insects.