Diversification rates, host plant shifts and an updated molecular phylogeny of Andean <i>Eois</i> moths (Lepidoptera: Geometridae)

<div><p><i>Eois</i> is one of the best-investigated genera of tropical moths. Its close association with <i>Piper</i> plants has inspired numerous studies on life histories, phylogeny and evolutionary biology. This study provides an updated view on phylogeny, host plant use and temporal patterns of speciation in <i>Eois</i>. Using sequence data (2776 bp) from one mitochondrial (COI) and one nuclear gene (Ef1-alpha) for 221 <i>Eois</i> species, we confirm and reinforce previous findings regarding temporal patterns of diversification. Deep diversification within Andean <i>Eois</i> took place in the Miocene followed by a sustained high rate of diversification until the Pleistocene when a pronounced slowdown of speciation is evident. In South America, <i>Eois</i> diversification is very likely to be primarily driven by the Andean uplift which occurred concurrently with the entire evolutionary history of <i>Eois</i>. A massively expanded dataset enabled an in-depth look into the phylogenetic signal contained in host plant usage. This revealed several independent shifts from <i>Piper</i> to other host plant genera and families. Seven shifts to <i>Peperomia</i>, the sister genus of <i>Piper</i> were detected, indicating that the shift to <i>Peperomia</i> was an easy one compared to the singular shifts to the Chloranthaceae, Siparunaceae and the Piperacean genus <i>Manekia</i>. The potential for close co-evolution of <i>Eois</i> with <i>Piper</i> host plants is therefore bound to be limited to smaller subsets within Neotropical <i>Eois</i> instead of a frequently proposed genus-wide co-evolutionary scenario. In regards to <i>Eois</i> systematics we confirm the monophyly of Neotropical <i>Eois</i> in relation to their Old World counterparts. A tentative biogeographical hypothesis is presented suggesting that <i>Eois</i> originated in tropical Asia and subsequently colonized the Neotropics and Africa. Within Neotropical <i>Eois</i> we were able to identify the existence of six clades not recognized in previous studies and confirm and reinforce the monophyly of all 9 previously delimited infrageneric clades.</p>