Phylogeny of Anophelinae using mitochondrial protein coding genes

Malaria is a vector-borne disease that is a great burden on the poorest and most marginalized communities of the tropical and subtropical world. Approximately 41 species of Anopheline mosquitoes can effectively spread species of Plasmodium parasites that cause human malaria. Proposing a natural classification for the subfamily Anophelinae has been a continuous effort, addressed using both morphology and DNA sequence data. The monophyly of the genus Anopheles, and phylogenetic placement of the genus Bironella, subgenera Kerteszia, Lophopodomyia and Stethomyia within the subfamily Anophelinae, remain in question. To understand the classification of Anophelinae, we inferred the phylogeny of all three genera (Anopheles, Bironella, Chagasia) and major subgenera by analysing the amino acid sequences of the 13 protein coding genes of 150 newly sequenced mitochondrial genomes of Anophelinae and 18 newly sequenced Culex species as outgroup taxa, supplemented with 23 mitogenomes from GenBank. Our analyses generally place genus Bironella within the genus Anopheles, which implies that the latter as it is currently defined is not monophyletic. With some inconsistencies, Bironella was placed within the major clade that includes Anopheles, Cellia, Kerteszia, Lophopodomyia, Nyssorhynchus and Stethomyia, which were found to be monophyletic groups within Anophelinae. Our findings provided robust evidence for elevating the monophyletic groupings Kerteszia, Lophopodomyia, Nyssorhynchus and Stethomyia to genus level; genus Anopheles to include subgenera Anopheles, Baimaia, Cellia and Christya; Anopheles parvus to be placed into a new genus; Nyssorhynchus to be elevated to genus level; the genus Nyssorhynchus to include subgenera Myzorhynchella and Nyssorhynchus; Anopheles atacamensis and Anopheles pictipennis to be transferred from subgenus Nyssorhynchus to subgenus Myzorhynchella; and subgenus Nyssorhynchus to encompass the remaining species of Argyritarsis and Albimanus Sections.

Vertical stratification of insect abundance and species richness in an Amazonian tropical forest

Tropical forests are among the most biodiverse biomes on the planet. Nevertheless, quantifying the abundance and species richness within megadiverse groups is a significant challenge. We designed a study to address this challenge by documenting the variability of the insect fauna across a vertical canopy gradient in a Central Amazonian tropical forest. Insects were sampled over two weeks using 6-m Gressitt-style Malaise traps set at five heights (0 m–32 m–8 m intervals) on a metal tower in a tropical forest north of Manaus, Brazil. The traps contained 37,778 specimens of 18 orders of insects. Using simulation approaches and nonparametric analyses, we interpreted the abundance and richness of insects along this gradient. Diptera, Hymenoptera, and Coleoptera had their greatest abundance at the ground level, whereas Lepidoptera and Hemiptera were more abundant in the upper levels of the canopy. We identified species of 38 of the 56 families of Diptera, finding that 527 out of 856 species (61.6%) were not sampled at the ground level. Mycetophilidae, Tipulidae, and Phoridae were significantly more diverse and/or abundant at the ground level, while Tachinidae, Dolichopodidae, and Lauxaniidae were more diverse or abundant at upper levels. Our study suggests the need for a careful discussion of strategies of tropical forest conservation based on a much more complete understanding of the three-dimensional distribution of its insect diversity.

Timeless standards for species delimitation

Recently a new species of bombyliid fly, Marleyimyia xylocopae, was described by Marshall & Evenhuis (2015) based on two photographs taken during fieldwork in the Republic of South Africa. This species has no preserved holotype. The paper generated some buzz, especially among dipterists, because in most cases photographs taken in the field provide insufficient information for properly diagnosing and documenting species of Diptera.

Twenty years of Dipterology through the pages of Zootaxa

We present a summary and analysis of the Diptera-related information published in Zootaxa from 2001 to 2020, with a focus on taxonomic papers. Altogether, 2,527 papers on Diptera were published, including 2,032 taxonomic papers and 1,931 papers containing new nomenclatural acts, equivalent to 22% of all publications with new nomenclatural acts for Diptera. The new nomenclatural acts include 7,431 new species, 277 new genera, 2,003 new synonymies, and 1,617 new combinations. A breakdown by family of new taxa and new replacement names proposed in the journal during the last two decades is provided, together with a comparison of Zootaxa's output to that of all other taxonomic publications on Diptera. Our results show that the journal has contributed to 20% of all biodiversity discovery in this megadiverse insect order over the last 20 years, and to about 31% in the last decade.

Phylogenetic relationships of the woodlouse flies (Diptera: Rhinophorinae) and the cluster flies (Diptera: Polleniidae)

Phylogenetic relationships within the oestroid subclades Rhinophorinae (Calliphoridae) and Polleniidae were reconstructed for the first time, applying a Sanger sequencing approach using the two protein-coding nuclear markers CAD (carbamoyl-phosphate synthetase 2, aspartate transcarbamylase, and dihydroorotase; 1794 bp) and MCS (molybdenum cofactor sulfurase; 2078 bp). Three genera of Polleniidae and nineteen genera of Rhinophorinae were analyzed together with a selection of taxa representing the major lineages of Oestroidea (non-rhinophorine Calliphoridae, Oestridae, Sarcophagidae, Tachinidae). The selected markers provide good resolution and moderate to strong support of the distal branches, but weak support for several deeper nodes. Polleniidae (cluster flies) emerge as monophyletic and their sister-group relationship to Tachinidae is confirmed. Morinia Robineau-Desvoidy as currently circumscribed emerges as paraphyletic with regard to Melanodexia Williston, and Pollenia Robineau-Desvoidy is the sister taxon of the Morinia-Melanodexia clade. We propose a classification with two subfamilies, Moriniinae Townsend (including Morinia, Melanodexia, and Alvamaja Rognes), and Polleniinae Brauer & Bergenstamm (including Pollenia, Dexopollenia Townsend, and Xanthotryxus Aldrich). Anthracomyza Malloch and Nesodexia Villeneuve are considered as Oestroidea incertae sedis pending further study. Rhinophorinae (woodlouse flies) emerge as monophyletic and sister to a clade composed of (Ameniinae + (Ameniinae + Phumosiinae)), and a tribal classification is proposed with the subfamily divided into Rhinophorini Robineau-Desvoidy, 1863 and Phytonini Robineau-Desvoidy, 1863 (the Stevenia-group and the Phyto-group of authors, respectively). Oxytachina Brauer & Bergenstamm, 1891, stat. rev. is resurrected to contain nine Afrotropical rhinophorine species currently assigned to genus Rhinomorinia Brauer & Bergenstamm, 1891: Oxytachina approximata (Crosskey, 1977) comb. nov., O. atra (Bischof, 1904) comb. nov., O. bisetosa (Crosskey, 1977) comb. nov., O. capensis (Brauer & Bergenstamm, 1893) comb. nov., O. scutellata (Crosskey, 1977) comb. nov., O. setitibia (Crosskey, 1977) comb. nov., O. verticalis (Crosskey, 1977) comb. nov., O. vittata Brauer & Bergenstamm, 1891, and O. xanthocephala (Bezzi, 1908) comb. nov.

The Shannoniella sisters (Diptera: Rhinophoridae)

Shannoniella cuspidata Townsend, 1939 is redescribed and S. setinervis sp. nov. (Brazil, State of Rio de Janeiro) is newly described as its putative sister taxon, thereby allowing for a strict definition of the genus Shannoniella Townsend, 1939 through explicit synapomorphies. An identification key is provided.

Woodlice and their parasitoid flies: revision of Isopoda (Crustacea, Oniscidea) - Rhinophoridae (Insecta, Diptera) interaction and first record of a parasitized Neotropical woodlouse species

Terrestrial isopods are soil macroarthropods that have few known parasites and parasitoids. All known parasitoids are from the family Rhinophoridae (Insecta: Diptera). The present article reviews the known biology of Rhinophoridae flies and presents the first record of Rhinophoridae larvae on a Neotropical woodlouse species. We also compile and update all published interaction records. The Neotropical woodlouse Balloniscusglaber was parasitized by two different larval morphotypes of Rhinophoridae. Including this new record, there are 18 Isopoda species known to be parasitized and 13 Rhinophoridae species with known hosts, resulting in 35 interactions. There are a total of 53 interaction records from Holarctic and Neotropical countries. Of the 18 known isopod hosts, only five species have more than one parasitoid, including the new Neotropical host record presented in this work.

Comments on the Classification of Neotropical Scionini (Tabanidae) with a Description of a New Genus

The classification of the Tabanidae had remained stable over the last 60 years after Mackerras proposed a great revolution in the arrangement of the family. Recently, some new proposals based on molecular data have once again changed the classification of the family, mainly with a focus on the tribe Scionini. The present paper introduces a critical analysis based on the taxonomical view of the recent proposed classification of Scionini. Three genera are discussed: Lepmia Fairchild, Parosca Enderlein, and Pseudoscione Lutz. Lepmia atra (Philippi), L. grisea (Jaennicke), and L. leucothorax (Ricardo) are transferred to a new genus, Sixtomyiagen.n., based on its morphological differences from Lepmia. Other three species receive a new combination: Parosca subulipalpis (Enderlein) n. comb., Pseudoscione albifrons (Macquart) n. comb., Ps. hibernus (Wilkerson & Coscarón) n. comb. A key to species of Sixtomyia is provided and diagnostic characters are illustrated.

FAMILY RHINOPHORIDAE

Only one species of Rhinophoridae has been recorded to Colombia so far, Bezzimyia busckii Townsend, 1919. However, three other species of the genus Bezzimyia are listed in the present catalogue, for they occur on nearby areas and are likely to occur in the country as well.

Revision of the neotropical Exoristini (Diptera, Tachinidae): the status of the genera Epiplagiops and Tetragrapha

The monotypic genera Epiplagiops Blanchard, 1943 and Tetragrapha Brauer and Bergenstamm, 1891 are revised. Both are invalidated and synonymized with Chetogena Rondani, 1856. Their type-species, Epiplagiops littoralis Blanchard, 1943 and Tetragrapha tessellata Brauer and Bergenstamm, 1891, are studied, redescribed, illustrated, and transferred to Chetogena. A lectotype is designated for T. tessellata.

Phylogeny of Anophelinae using mitochondrial protein coding genes

Malaria is a vector-borne disease that is a great burden on the poorest and most marginalized communities of the tropical and subtropical world. Approximately 41 species of Anopheline mosquitoes can effectively spread species of Plasmodium parasites that cause human malaria. Proposing a natural classification for the subfamily Anophelinae has been a continuous effort, addressed using both morphology and DNA sequence data. The monophyly of the genus Anopheles, and phylogenetic placement of the genus Bironella, subgenera Kerteszia, Lophopodomyia and Stethomyia within the subfamily Anophelinae, remain in question. To understand the classification of Anophelinae, we inferred the phylogeny of all three genera (Anopheles, Bironella, Chagasia) and major subgenera by analysing the amino acid sequences of the 13 protein coding genes of 150 newly sequenced mitochondrial genomes of Anophelinae and 18 newly sequenced Culex species as outgroup taxa, supplemented with 23 mitogenomes from GenBank. Our analyses generally place genus Bironella within the genus Anopheles, which implies that the latter as it is currently defined is not monophyletic. With some inconsistencies, Bironella was placed within the major clade that includes Anopheles, Cellia, Kerteszia, Lophopodomyia, Nyssorhynchus and Stethomyia, which were found to be monophyletic groups within Anophelinae. Our findings provided robust evidence for elevating the monophyletic groupings Kerteszia, Lophopodomyia, Nyssorhynchus and Stethomyia to genus level; genus Anopheles to include subgenera Anopheles, Baimaia, Cellia and Christya; Anopheles parvus to be placed into a new genus; Nyssorhynchus to be elevated to genus level; the genus Nyssorhynchus to include subgenera Myzorhynchella and Nyssorhynchus; Anopheles atacamensis and Anopheles pictipennis to be transferred from subgenus Nyssorhynchus to subgenus Myzorhynchella; and subgenus Nyssorhynchus to encompass the remaining species of Argyritarsis and Albimanus Sections.

First host record for Winthemia analis (Macquart) (Diptera: Tachinidae: Exoristinae) in Brazil: Brassolis sophorae laurentii Stichel (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Brassolinae)

Hymenopteran and dipteran endoparasitoids are reported acting as pupae endoparasitoids of Brassolis sophorae (L.). Concerning the scientific and economic importance of these interspecific relationship, and aiming to increase the knowledge related to natural and conservative biological control, the present study records Winthemia analis (Macquart) as larval-pupal parasitoid of Brassolis sophorae laurentii Stichel in the State of Alagoas, Brazil. This report presents some data on the bioecology of this parasitoid, on its distributional range in Brazil and a host species for the first time.

Comparative morphology of antennal ultrastructure in Tachinidae parasitoid flies (Diptera): The phylogenetic importance of antennal sensilla

Tachinidae are one of the most diverse clades of Diptera. All tachinids are parasitoids of insects and other arthropods, and thus are considered an important source of biological pest control. Antennae are the most important olfactory organs of Tachinidae playing key roles in their lives, especially in locating hosts, and details of antennal ultrastructure could provide useful features for phylogenetic studies and understanding their adaptive evolution. Despite the ecological and evolutionary importance of antennae, the current knowledge of antennal ultrastructure is scarce for Tachinidae. Our study examined antennal sensilla of thirteen species belonging to thirteen genera within eleven tribes of all the four subfamilies (Phasiinae, Dexiinae, Tachininae, and Exoristinae): Beskia aelops Walker, Trichodura sp., Voria ruralis (Fallén), Zelia sp., Cylindromyia carinata Townsend, Phasia xenos Townsend, Neomintho sp., Genea australis (Townsend), Copecrypta sp., Hystricia sp., Belvosia sp., Leschenaultia sp., and Winthemia pinguis (Fabricius). Types, length and distribution of antennal sensilla were investigated via scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Our comparative analysis summarized 29 variable characters and we evaluated their phylogenetic signal for subfamilial, tribal and generic/specific levels, showing that antennal ultrastructure could be a reliable source of characters for phylogenetic analysis. Our findings demonstrate the remarkable diversity of the antennal ultrastructure of Tachinidae.

Taxonomy of Morellia Robineau-Desvoidy (Diptera: Muscidae): revision of the subgenera Morellia s. str. and Parapyrellia Townsend

The subgenera Morellia Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830 and Parapyrellia Townsend, 1915 of Morellia (Diptera, Muscidae) are revised. Forty-two species of the subgenus Morellia (out of 50) and seven of the subgenus Parapyrellia (all species) are redescribed and illustrated, and 48 species are keyed (41 spp. of Morellia and 7 spp. of Parapyrellia). Morellia (M.) cashmirana van Emden, 1965, originally described as a subspecies of M. (M.) hortorum (Fallén, 1817), is raised to species rank, stat. nov. Four species are transferred from the subgenus Morellia to the subgenus Parapyrellia (subgen. comb. nov.): M. dendropanacis Pamplona & Couri, 1995; M. lopesae Pamplona, 1986; M. roppai Pamplona, 1986 and M. semimarginata (Stein, 1918).

Systematic revision of the ormiine genera Aulacephala Macquart and Phasioormia Townsend (Diptera, Tachinidae)

The tribe Ormiini comprises 64 species in six genera. In the present paper, the ormiine genera Aulacephala Macquart and Phasioormia Townsend are revised, with two valid species recognized in the former and three valid species recognized in the latter. All available nominal species in Aulacephala and Phasioormia were examined and are revised herein, so that previous synonymies could be confirmed. Furthermore, Phasioormia papuana sp. nov. is described from Papua New Guinea and Indonesia, and Therobia punctigera (Paramonov, 1955) is proposed as a new synonym of Aulacephala hervei Bequaert, 1922, syn. nov. Keys to species and illustrations of male and female terminalia are provided for both genera.

The misplaced genus Trischidocera Villeneuve (Diptera, Tachinidae)

Trischidocera Villeneuve, 1915 includes two species, T. sauteri Villeneuve, 1915 (Taiwan and Malaysia) and T. yunnanensis Chao & Zhou, 1987 (China). The systematic placement of Trischidocera has been controversial. It was originally placed within the "Thryptoceratidae" (= "Actiidae"), then moved to Germariini, then considered an unplaced Tachinidae, and more recently placed in Ormiini. Here, the genus is revised, the type-species is redescribed and illustrated, and its systematic placement is discussed. The genus is removed from Ormiini and considered incertae sedis.