# Applying Target Capture Sequencing to Unravel the Anthurium Section Pachyneurium (Araceae), with Emphasis on Brazilian Species

## TL;DR

This study uses DNA sequencing to show that a group of Anthurium plants in Brazil is not a single evolutionary group, revealing new relationships and aiding conservation efforts.

## Contribution

The study provides a phylogenomic framework to revise the classification of Anthurium and identifies evolutionarily distinct lineages in Brazil.

## Key findings

- Sect. Pachyneurium is not monophyletic, with Brazilian species grouped into three geographically structured lineages.
- The Atlantic Forest lineage is sister to A. coriaceum, a relationship not predicted by morphology.
- Divergence-time estimates suggest diversification of Brazilian Anthurium lineages during the Miocene.

## Abstract

Anthurium (Araceae) is one of the most species-rich Neotropical genera, yet its infrageneric classification remains unresolved. This study tests the monophyly of the morphologically defined Anthurium sect. Pachyneurium diagnosed by rosulate habit, involute prefoliation, and absence of a collective vein with a focus on Brazilian species. Using target capture sequencing (Angiosperms353 probe set), we generated a phylogenomic dataset for 35 Anthurium species (18 from sect. Pachyneurium) and conducted maximum likelihood and coalescent-based analyses. Our results demonstrate that sect. Pachyneurium is not monophyletic as traditionally circumscribed. Brazilian species previously assigned to the section are recovered in three geographically structured and strongly supported lineages: Amazonian, Atlantic Forest, and Caatinga/Cerrado. The Atlantic Forest lineage is unexpectedly resolved as sister to A. coriaceum (sect. Urospadix), revealing an evolutionary relationship not predicted by morphology. Divergence-time estimates place the origin of crown Anthurium in the Paleocene (~62 Ma), with diversification of the Brazilian lineages occurring during the Miocene (20–3 Ma), coinciding with major geoclimatic events in South America. Our findings indicate that key diagnostic morphological characters are homoplastic and provide a phylogenomic framework for revising the infrageneric classification of Anthurium. By identifying evolutionarily distinct lineages, this study also contributes to prioritizing conservation efforts in threatened Neotropical biomes.