A myriad of mysteries on many legs: Disentangling the systematics of Myriapoda with UCEs
Abstract
Myriapods are one of the oldest and most diverse groups of arthropods, encompassing the classes Diplopoda, Chilopoda, Symphyla, and Pauropoda. Phylogenetic analyses historically disagree on the placement and relationships of groups within the subphylum using various methodologies (i.e., morphology, Sanger sequencing, and transcriptomics). Here, we develop a novel UCE (ultraconserved element) probe set for Myriapoda sampling Siphoniulida and Siphonocryptida, among the rarest millipede lineages, and explore family-level relationships within Scutigeromorpha. The probe set was tested in vitro for 63 new specimens together with published transcriptomes and genomes totaling 23 of the 24 myriapod orders. We recovered an average of 666 loci per terminal and reconstructed a phylogeny that identifies two alternative class-level topologies, favoring Diplopoda as sister group to Pauropoda + Symphyla. We corroborate placement of Siphonocryptida within Polyzoniida and Siphoniulida as sister group to Stemmiulida. This probe set demonstrates high phylogenetic utility at many taxonomic levels, allowing researchers to address outstanding questions in the field of myriapod evolution.
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BibTeX
@article{shapiro2026myriad,
title = {{A myriad of mysteries on many legs: Disentangling the systematics of Myriapoda with UCEs}},
author = {Lily Shapiro and Paula Rodríguez-Flores and Shahan Derkarabetian and Gregory D. Edgecombe and Ernesto Recuero and Ligia R. Benavides and Gonzalo Giribet},
journal = {iScience},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.isci.2026.117989},
url = {https://www.cell.com/iscience/fulltext/S2589-0042(26)03372-9},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - A myriad of mysteries on many legs: Disentangling the systematics of Myriapoda with UCEs
AU - Lily Shapiro
AU - Paula Rodríguez-Flores
AU - Shahan Derkarabetian
AU - Gregory D. Edgecombe
AU - Ernesto Recuero
AU - Ligia R. Benavides
AU - Gonzalo Giribet
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/23
JO - iScience
DO - 10.1016/j.isci.2026.117989
UR - https://www.cell.com/iscience/fulltext/S2589-0042(26)03372-9
AB - Myriapods are one of the oldest and most diverse groups of arthropods, encompassing the classes Diplopoda, Chilopoda, Symphyla, and Pauropoda. Phylogenetic analyses historically disagree on the placement and relationships of groups within the subphylum using various methodologies (i.e., morphology, Sanger sequencing, and transcriptomics). Here, we develop a novel UCE (ultraconserved element) probe set for Myriapoda sampling Siphoniulida and Siphonocryptida, among the rarest millipede lineages, and explore family-level relationships within Scutigeromorpha. The probe set was tested in vitro for 63 new specimens together with published transcriptomes and genomes totaling 23 of the 24 myriapod orders. We recovered an average of 666 loci per terminal and reconstructed a phylogeny that identifies two alternative class-level topologies, favoring Diplopoda as sister group to Pauropoda + Symphyla. We corroborate placement of Siphonocryptida within Polyzoniida and Siphoniulida as sister group to Stemmiulida. This probe set demonstrates high phylogenetic utility at many taxonomic levels, allowing researchers to address outstanding questions in the field of myriapod evolution.
SN - 2589-0042
ER -