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C15 - Polyphylla Genus of North America
In this study, samples of Polyphylla decemlineata, Polyphylla hamadai, and Polyphylla diffracta were collected and analyzed to evaluate their phylogenetic relationships using genetic data.
C15 - Polyphylla Genus of North America
Mentor: David Russell, Ph.D.
Beetles in the genus Polyphylla belong to the scarab beetle family Scarabaeidae, a large and diverse group of insects. The genus Polyphylla contains dozens of species distributed throughout North America. Historically, species in this genus have been classified primarily using morphological traits. However, morphological classification has limitations, leading to increasing use of genetic methods such as Molecular Phylogenetics. In this study, samples of Polyphylla decemlineata, Polyphylla hamadai, and Polyphylla diffracta were collected and analyzed to evaluate their phylogenetic relationships using genetic data.