Phylogenetic discrepancies were assessed statistically with the AU test. For the combined (non-recombined) NS3 partition, the topological constraints forced LIV and W-TBEV into a monophyletic group with SSEV as sister taxon. Conversely, for the recombinant partition we imposed the grouping of SSEV and LIV outside the W-TBEV clade. Both alternative placements were rejected by the AU test (see Table 3 ), confirming that the different placements of LIV between partitions expresses genuine phylogenetic information rather than mere stochastic effects.