Meeting Abstract

P2-92   -   : Harnessing next generation sequencing and machine learning approaches for delimiting new species of cave endemics in the Israeli arachnofauna Steiner, H/G*; Baker, C/M; Sharma, P/M; Ballesteros, J/A; Gainett, G; University of Wisconsin-Madison; University of Wisconsin-Madison; University of Wisconsin-Madison; University of Wisconsin-Madison; University of Wisconsin-Madison hgsteiner@wisc.edu

Cave systems provide an opportunity to investigate interspecies relationships to a high degree of precision. The funnel weaver spider genus Tegenaria has been observed at cave sites in Israel with a broad spectrum of eye morphology. The loss of eyes in troglobitic spiders suggests that a past adaptive radiation within Tegenaria may have resulted in multiple speciation events. This raises the question of whether, or how many, possible different endemic species of Tegenaria exist in these environments. To investigate this question, we are employing next generation sequencing technology targeting ultraconserved elements (UCEs). UCEs are highly conserved fragments of genetic material found in disparate taxa spanning the tree of life. These genetic markers provide insight into both population-level and species-level relationships. Approximately 175 Tegenaria specimens previously collected from various sites around Israel were selected for sequencing. Their DNA was extracted and the libraries were prepared for UCE analysis using target capture. The results of sequencing have the potential to provide insight as to how many species of Tegenaria exist in Israel as well has their rate of evolution.