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Gunilla Stahls - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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anchored enrichment dataset for true flies order diptera reveals insights into the phylogeny of flower flies family Syrphidae
BMC Evolutionary Biology, 2016Co-Authors: Ximo Mengual, Gunilla Stahls, Andrew D Young, Jeffrey H Skevington, Alan R Lemmon, Menno Reemer, Kurt Jordaens, Scott KelsoAbstract:Anchored hybrid enrichment is a form of next-generation sequencing that uses oligonucleotide probes to target conserved regions of the genome flanked by less conserved regions in order to acquire data useful for phylogenetic inference from a broad range of taxa. Once a probe kit is developed, anchored hybrid enrichment is superior to traditional PCR-based Sanger sequencing in terms of both the amount of genomic data that can be recovered and effective cost. Due to their incredibly diverse nature, importance as pollinators, and historical instability with regard to subfamilial and tribal classification, Syrphidae (flower flies or hoverflies) are an ideal candidate for anchored hybrid enrichment-based phylogenetics, especially since recent molecular phylogenies of the syrphids using only a few markers have resulted in highly unresolved topologies. Over 6200 syrphids are currently known and uncovering their phylogeny will help us to understand how these species have diversified, providing insight into an array of ecological processes, from the development of adult mimicry, the origin of adult migration, to pollination patterns and the evolution of larval resource utilization. We present the first use of anchored hybrid enrichment in insect phylogenetics on a dataset containing 30 flower fly species from across all four subfamilies and 11 tribes out of 15. To produce a phylogenetic hypothesis, 559 loci were sampled to produce a final dataset containing 217,702 sites. We recovered a well resolved topology with bootstrap support values that were almost universally >95 %. The subfamily Eristalinae is recovered as paraphyletic, with the strongest support for this hypothesis to date. The ant predators in the Microdontinae are sister to all other syrphids. Syrphinae and Pipizinae are monophyletic and sister to each other. Larval predation on soft-bodied hemipterans evolved only once in this family. Anchored hybrid enrichment was successful in producing a robustly supported phylogenetic hypothesis for the syrphids. Subfamilial reconstruction is concordant with recent phylogenetic hypotheses, but with much higher support values. With the newly designed probe kit this analysis could be rapidly expanded with further sampling, opening the door to more comprehensive analyses targeting problem areas in syrphid phylogenetics and ecology.
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phylogenetic relationships of microdontinae diptera Syrphidae based on molecular and morphological characters
Systematic Entomology, 2013Co-Authors: Menno Reemer, Gunilla StahlsAbstract:The intrasubfamilial classification of Microdontinae Rondani (Diptera: Syrphidae) has been a challenge: until recently more than 300 out of more than 400 valid species names were classified in Microdon Meigen. We present phylogenetic analyses of molecular and morphological characters (both separate and combined) of Microdontinae. The morphological dataset contains 174 characters, scored for 189 taxa (9 outgroup), representing all 43 presently recognized genera and several subgenera and species groups. The molecular dataset, representing 90 ingroup species of 28 genera, comprises sequences of five partitions in total from the mitochondrial gene COI and the nuclear ribosomal genes 18S and 28S. We test the sister-group relationship of Spheginobaccha with the other Microdontinae, attempt to elucidate phylogenetic relationships within the Microdontinae and discuss uncertainties in the classification of Microdontinae. Trees based on molecular characters alone are poorly resolved, but combined data are better resolved. Support for many deeper nodes is low, and placement of such nodes differs between parsimony and Bayesian analyses. However, Spheginobaccha is recovered as highly supported sister group in both. Both analyses agree on the early branching of Mixogaster, Schizoceratomyia, Afromicrodon and Paramicrodon. The taxonomical rank in relation to the other Syrphidae is discussed briefly. An additional analysis based on morphological characters only, including all 189 taxa, used implied weighting. A range of weighting strengths (k-values) is applied, chosen such that values of character fit of the resulting trees are divided into regular intervals. Results of this analysis are used for discussing the phylogenetic relationships of genera unrepresented in the molecular dataset.
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taxonomy of chrysotoxum festivum linnaeus 1758 diptera Syrphidae an integrative approach
Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2013Co-Authors: Zorica Nedeljkovic, Gunilla Stahls, Ante Vujic, Jelena Acanski, Dragana Obreht, Mihajla ðan, Snezana RadenkovicAbstract:An integrative taxonomic approach revealed two taxa within Chrysotoxum festivum (Linnaeus, 1758) (Diptera, Syrphidae), C. festivum A and C. festivum B. In addition to morphological differences, results also showed significant distinction in geometric morphometrics of wings and surstyli, and in DNA sequence data (nuclear ITS2 sequences) between C. festivum A, C. festivum B, and the closely related species C. elegans Loew, 1841. From examination of type material, the name C. tomentosum Giglio-Tos, 1890 is proposed for C. festivum B, and the taxon is redefined. © 2013 The Linnean Society of London
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systematics of pipizini and taxonomy of european pipiza fallen molecular and morphological evidence diptera Syrphidae
Zoologica Scripta, 2013Co-Authors: Ante Vujic, Gunilla Stahls, Jelena Acanski, Hans Bartsch, Rune Bygebjerg, Ana StefanovicAbstract:Vuji, A., Stahls, G., Aanski, J., Bartsch, H., Bygebjerg, R. & Stefanovi, A. (2013). Systematics of Pipizini and taxonomy of European Pipiza Fallen: molecular and morphological evidence (Diptera, Syrphidae). Zoologica Scripta, 42, 288305. In the present work the monophyly and molecular phylogenetic relationships of the genera of tribe Pipizini (Syrphidae) were investigated based on mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and nuclear 28S rDNA sequences, and the relationships among species of genus Pipiza Fallen, 1810 based on mtDNA COI sequences. Molecular phylogenetic analyses of Pipizini supported Pipiza as monophyletic and as sister group to all other Pipizini, and resolved other Pipizini genera as monophyletic lineages except for genus Heringia Rondani, 1856. To recognize the distinctness and maintain the monophyly the genus Heringia was redefined, generic rank was assigned to Neocnemodon Goffe, 1944 stat. n., and the genus Claussenia Vuji & Stahls gen. n., type-species Claussenia hispanica (Strobl, 1909), was described. A revision of the European Pipiza species, including a discussion of taxonomic characters and a morphological redefinition of all included species, is presented. One new species, Pipiza laurusi Vuji & Stahls sp. n. was described. The taxa Pipiza carbonaria Meigen, 1822; Pipiza fasciata, Meigen 1822; Pipiza lugubris (Fabricius, 1775), Pipiza noctiluca (Linneaues, 1758), Pipiza notata Meigen, 1822 were redefined. Lectotypes are designated for 17 taxa, and neotypes were designated for seven taxa. Fourteen new synonymies were proposed. Male genitalia were illustrated for all the species, and a key of the 12 European species for males and females was provided. Geometric morphometrics of wing landmarks and extended sampling of mtDNA COI sequences was employed to delimitate taxa of the P.noctiluca and P.lugubris complexes. Despite subtle morphological differences, wing geometric morphometrics variables of wing size and shape showed highly significant differences among species within P.noctiluca and P.lugubris complexes, which were supported by the molecular data.
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generic revision and species classification of the microdontinae diptera Syrphidae
ZooKeys, 2013Co-Authors: Menno Reemer, Gunilla StahlsAbstract:With 552 species group names available (excluding misspellings), the Microdontinae constitute the smallest of the three subfamilies of Syrphidae. Paradoxically, this subfamily is taxonomically the least organized of the three: 388 species names were previously classified in a single genus, Microdon Meigen, 1803. The present paper introduces a new generic classification of the Microdontinae, relying partly on the results of phylogenetic analyses of morphological and molecular data as published in other papers, and partly on examination of primary type specimens of 347 taxa, plus additional material, and original descriptions. A total number of 67 genus group names (excluding misspellings) are evaluated, redescribed, diagnosed and discussed, with several implications for their taxonomic status. Of these, 43 names are considered as valid genera, 7 as subgenera, 17 as synonyms. Two generic names (Ceratoconcha Simroth, 1907, Nothomicrodon Wheeler, 1924) are left unplaced, because they are known from immature stages only and cannot be reliably associated with taxa known from adults. The following 10 new genera are described by Reemer: Domodon, Heliodon, Laetodon, Menidon, Mermerizon, Metadon, Peradon, Piruwa, Sulcodon and Thompsodon. A key to all genera, subgenera and species groups is given. A total number of 26 new species are described in the following genera: Archimicrodon Hull, 1945, Ceratrichomyia Seguy, 1951, Domodon, Furcantenna Cheng, 2008, Heliodon, Indascia Keiser, 1958, Kryptopyga Hull, 1944, Masarygus Brethes. 1908, Mermerizon, Metadon, Microdon, Paramixogaster Brunetti, 1923, Piruwa, Pseudomicrodon Hull, 1937, Rhopalosyrphus Giglio-Tos, 1891, and Thompsodon. New lectotypes are designated for Ceratrichomyia behara Seguy, 1951 and Microdon iheringi Bezzi, 1910. A total number of 267 new combinations of species and genera are proposed. New synonyms are proposed for 19 species group names. Three replacement names are introduced for primary and secondary junior homonyms: Microdon shirakii nom. n. (= Microdon tuberculatus Shiraki, 1968, primary homonym of Microdon tuberculatus de Meijere, 1913), Paramixogaster brunettii nom. n. (= Mixogaster vespiformis Brunetti, 1913, secondary homonym of Microdon vespiformis de Meijere, 1908), Paramixogaster sacki nom. n. (= Myxogaster variegata Sack, 1922, secondary homonym of Ceratophya variegata Walker, 1852). An attempt is made to classify all available species names into (sub)genera and species groups. The resulting classification comprises 454 valid species and 98 synonyms (excluding misspellings), of which 17 valid names and three synonyms are left unplaced. The paper concludes with a discussion on diagnostic characters of Microdontinae.
Ximo Mengual - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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first mitochondrial genomes of five hoverfly species of the genus eristalinus diptera Syrphidae
Genome, 2019Co-Authors: Gontran Sonet, Ximo Mengual, Yannick De Smet, Min Tang, M Virgilio, Andrew D Young, Jeffrey H Skevington, Thierry BackeljauAbstract:The hoverfly genus Eristalinus (Diptera, Syrphidae) contains many widespread pollinators. The majority of the species of Eristalinus occur in the Afrotropics and their molecular systematics still n...
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anchored enrichment dataset for true flies order diptera reveals insights into the phylogeny of flower flies family Syrphidae
BMC Evolutionary Biology, 2016Co-Authors: Ximo Mengual, Gunilla Stahls, Andrew D Young, Jeffrey H Skevington, Alan R Lemmon, Menno Reemer, Kurt Jordaens, Scott KelsoAbstract:Anchored hybrid enrichment is a form of next-generation sequencing that uses oligonucleotide probes to target conserved regions of the genome flanked by less conserved regions in order to acquire data useful for phylogenetic inference from a broad range of taxa. Once a probe kit is developed, anchored hybrid enrichment is superior to traditional PCR-based Sanger sequencing in terms of both the amount of genomic data that can be recovered and effective cost. Due to their incredibly diverse nature, importance as pollinators, and historical instability with regard to subfamilial and tribal classification, Syrphidae (flower flies or hoverflies) are an ideal candidate for anchored hybrid enrichment-based phylogenetics, especially since recent molecular phylogenies of the syrphids using only a few markers have resulted in highly unresolved topologies. Over 6200 syrphids are currently known and uncovering their phylogeny will help us to understand how these species have diversified, providing insight into an array of ecological processes, from the development of adult mimicry, the origin of adult migration, to pollination patterns and the evolution of larval resource utilization. We present the first use of anchored hybrid enrichment in insect phylogenetics on a dataset containing 30 flower fly species from across all four subfamilies and 11 tribes out of 15. To produce a phylogenetic hypothesis, 559 loci were sampled to produce a final dataset containing 217,702 sites. We recovered a well resolved topology with bootstrap support values that were almost universally >95 %. The subfamily Eristalinae is recovered as paraphyletic, with the strongest support for this hypothesis to date. The ant predators in the Microdontinae are sister to all other syrphids. Syrphinae and Pipizinae are monophyletic and sister to each other. Larval predation on soft-bodied hemipterans evolved only once in this family. Anchored hybrid enrichment was successful in producing a robustly supported phylogenetic hypothesis for the syrphids. Subfamilial reconstruction is concordant with recent phylogenetic hypotheses, but with much higher support values. With the newly designed probe kit this analysis could be rapidly expanded with further sampling, opening the door to more comprehensive analyses targeting problem areas in syrphid phylogenetics and ecology.
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where is my food brazilian flower fly steals prey from carnivorous sundews in a newly discovered plant animal interaction
PLOS ONE, 2016Co-Authors: Andreas Fleischmann, Fernando Rivadavia, Paulo Minatel Gonella, Celeste Perezbanon, Ximo Mengual, Santos RojoAbstract:A new interaction between insects and carnivorous plants is reported from Brazil. Larvae of the predatory flower fly Toxomerus basalis (Diptera: Syrphidae: Syrphinae) have been found scavenging on the sticky leaves of several carnivorous sundew species (Drosera, Droseraceae) in Minas Gerais and Sao Paulo states, SE Brazil. This syrphid apparently spends its whole larval stage feeding on prey trapped by Drosera leaves. The nature of this plant-animal relationship is discussed, as well as the Drosera species involved, and locations where T. basalis was observed. 180 years after the discovery of this flower fly species, its biology now has been revealed. This is (1) the first record of kleptoparasitism in the Syrphidae, (2) a new larval feeding mode for this family, and (3) the first report of a dipteran that shows a kleptoparasitic relationship with a carnivorous plant with adhesive flypaper traps. The first descriptions of the third instar larva and puparium of T. basalis based on Scanning Electron Microscope analysis are provided.
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is the mega diverse genus ocyptamus diptera Syrphidae monophyletic evidence from molecular characters including the secondary structure of 28s rrna
Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 2012Co-Authors: Ximo Mengual, Gunilla Stahls, Santos RojoAbstract:Phylogenetic relationships between two New World Syrphinae taxa (Diptera, Syrphidae), i.e. the highly diverse genus Ocyptamus and the large genus Toxomerus, were analysed based on molecular characters. The monophyly of both taxa was tested and the taxonomic status of included subgenera and species groups was examined. Toxomerus constitutes the monogeneric tribe Toxomerini with more than 140 described species, while Ocyptamus (tribe Syrphini) is a very diverse genus (over 300 spp.) with multiple recognised subgenera and species groups. Sequence data from three gene regions were used: the mitochondrial protein-coding gene cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and the nuclear 28S and 18S ribosomal RNA genes. The secondary structure of two expansion segments (D2, D3) of the ribosomal 28S RNA gene is presented for the family Syrphidae and used for the first time in a multiple sequence alignment. Molecular data were analysed using parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference. Toxomerus was always recovered as monophyletic within Ocyptamus, and relationships to other New World taxa such as Salpingogaster (Eosalpingogaster) were well-supported. Only the subgenera and species groups of Ocyptamus were consistently recovered as monophyletic lineages, thus the apparent non-monophyly of Ocyptamus demands reclassification of this clade.
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a conspectus of the flower fly genus allograpta diptera Syrphidae with description of a new subgenus and species
Zootaxa, 2009Co-Authors: Ximo Mengual, Santos Rojo, Gunilla Stahls, Carlos Ruiz, Christian F ThompsonAbstract:A new subgenus [Allograpta (Costarica Mengual & Thompson), type Allograpta zumbadoi Thompson], and one new species [Allograpta (Costarica) nishida Mengual & Thompson; type-locality: Costa Rica, type-depository: Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad de Costa Rica] of flower flies (Diptera: Syrphidae) are described from the Neotropical biotic region. A checklist of the world species of Allograpta including synonyms is provided, and a key to and diagnoses of the subgenera are also supplied. The phylogenetic relationships among Allograpta species, representing all hitherto detected morphological diversity of the genus, and related genera were studied under parsimony based on morphological characters.
Santos Rojo - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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revision of the merodon serrulatus group diptera Syrphidae
ZooKeys, 2020Co-Authors: Ante Vujic, Celeste Perezbanon, Rüstem Hayat, Snezana Radenkovic, Laura Likov, Natasa Kocis Tubic, Mihajla Djan, Anja Sebic, A V Barkalov, Santos RojoAbstract:The phytophagous hoverfly genus Merodon Meigen, 1803 (Diptera, Syrphidae), which comprises more than 160 species distributed in Palaearctic and Afrotropical regions, can be differentiated into multiple groups of species that harbor high levels of hidden diversity. In this work, the serrulatus species group of Merodon is revised, providing an illustrated key to species, a detailed discussion on the taxonomic characters and a morphological diagnosis, including also the first data about the preimaginal morphology of this species group. The study includes characteristics of the 13 species of the M. serrulatus group, along with the available distributional data. Moreover, descriptions are provided for seven new species, namely M. defectus Vujic, Likov & Radenkovic sp. nov., M. disjunctus Vujic, Likov & Radenkovic sp. nov., M. medium Vujic, Likov & Radenkovic sp. nov., M. nigrocapillatus Vujic, Likov & Radenkovic sp. nov., M. nigropunctum Vujic, Likov & Radenkovic sp. nov., M. opacus Vujic, Likov & Radenkovic sp. nov., and M. trianguloculus Vujic, Likov & Radenkovic sp. nov. In addition, the taxa M. serrulatus (Wiedemann in Meigen, 1822), M. bequaerti Hurkmans, 1993, M. hirsutus Sack, 1913, M. kawamurae Matsumura, 1916, M. sacki (Paramonov, 1936) and M. sophron Hurkmans, 1993 are redefined and redescribed. Following a detailed study of the type material sourced from different entomological collections, the status of all available taxa related to M. serrulatus is revised and a new synonymy is proposed: M. tener Sack, 1913 syn. nov. (junior synonym of M. serrulatus). The identity of M. trizonus (Szilady, 1940) could not be assessed as the type specimens are lost. Thus, the name M. trizonus is considered as nomen dubium. The monophyly and composition of this species group are assessed through Maximum Parsimony and Maximum Likelihood analyses of the mitochondrial COI and nuclear 28S rRNA gene sequences.
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where is my food brazilian flower fly steals prey from carnivorous sundews in a newly discovered plant animal interaction
PLOS ONE, 2016Co-Authors: Andreas Fleischmann, Fernando Rivadavia, Paulo Minatel Gonella, Celeste Perezbanon, Ximo Mengual, Santos RojoAbstract:A new interaction between insects and carnivorous plants is reported from Brazil. Larvae of the predatory flower fly Toxomerus basalis (Diptera: Syrphidae: Syrphinae) have been found scavenging on the sticky leaves of several carnivorous sundew species (Drosera, Droseraceae) in Minas Gerais and Sao Paulo states, SE Brazil. This syrphid apparently spends its whole larval stage feeding on prey trapped by Drosera leaves. The nature of this plant-animal relationship is discussed, as well as the Drosera species involved, and locations where T. basalis was observed. 180 years after the discovery of this flower fly species, its biology now has been revealed. This is (1) the first record of kleptoparasitism in the Syrphidae, (2) a new larval feeding mode for this family, and (3) the first report of a dipteran that shows a kleptoparasitic relationship with a carnivorous plant with adhesive flypaper traps. The first descriptions of the third instar larva and puparium of T. basalis based on Scanning Electron Microscope analysis are provided.
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is the mega diverse genus ocyptamus diptera Syrphidae monophyletic evidence from molecular characters including the secondary structure of 28s rrna
Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 2012Co-Authors: Ximo Mengual, Gunilla Stahls, Santos RojoAbstract:Phylogenetic relationships between two New World Syrphinae taxa (Diptera, Syrphidae), i.e. the highly diverse genus Ocyptamus and the large genus Toxomerus, were analysed based on molecular characters. The monophyly of both taxa was tested and the taxonomic status of included subgenera and species groups was examined. Toxomerus constitutes the monogeneric tribe Toxomerini with more than 140 described species, while Ocyptamus (tribe Syrphini) is a very diverse genus (over 300 spp.) with multiple recognised subgenera and species groups. Sequence data from three gene regions were used: the mitochondrial protein-coding gene cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and the nuclear 28S and 18S ribosomal RNA genes. The secondary structure of two expansion segments (D2, D3) of the ribosomal 28S RNA gene is presented for the family Syrphidae and used for the first time in a multiple sequence alignment. Molecular data were analysed using parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference. Toxomerus was always recovered as monophyletic within Ocyptamus, and relationships to other New World taxa such as Salpingogaster (Eosalpingogaster) were well-supported. Only the subgenera and species groups of Ocyptamus were consistently recovered as monophyletic lineages, thus the apparent non-monophyly of Ocyptamus demands reclassification of this clade.
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three new cryptic species of the genus merodon meigen diptera Syrphidae from the island of lesvos greece
Zootaxa, 2011Co-Authors: Snezana Radenkovic, Celeste Perezbanon, Santos Rojo, Gunilla Stahls, Ante Vujic, Theodora Petanidou, Smiljka SimicAbstract:Descriptions are given of three new cryptic species of Merodon Meigen (Diptera: Syrphidae) from the island of Lesvos (Greece): Merodon latifemoris Radenkovic et Vujic n. sp. from the nigritarsis species group, Merodon pulveris Vujic et Radenkovic n. sp. from the natans species group and Merodon puniceus Vujic, Radenkovic et Perez-Banon n. sp. from the aureus species group. In addition to classical morphological characters, mitochondrial COI barcode sequences were generated for several specimens of each taxon.
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a conspectus of the flower fly genus allograpta diptera Syrphidae with description of a new subgenus and species
Zootaxa, 2009Co-Authors: Ximo Mengual, Santos Rojo, Gunilla Stahls, Carlos Ruiz, Christian F ThompsonAbstract:A new subgenus [Allograpta (Costarica Mengual & Thompson), type Allograpta zumbadoi Thompson], and one new species [Allograpta (Costarica) nishida Mengual & Thompson; type-locality: Costa Rica, type-depository: Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad de Costa Rica] of flower flies (Diptera: Syrphidae) are described from the Neotropical biotic region. A checklist of the world species of Allograpta including synonyms is provided, and a key to and diagnoses of the subgenera are also supplied. The phylogenetic relationships among Allograpta species, representing all hitherto detected morphological diversity of the genus, and related genera were studied under parsimony based on morphological characters.
Ante Vujic - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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revision of the merodon serrulatus group diptera Syrphidae
ZooKeys, 2020Co-Authors: Ante Vujic, Celeste Perezbanon, Rüstem Hayat, Snezana Radenkovic, Laura Likov, Natasa Kocis Tubic, Mihajla Djan, Anja Sebic, A V Barkalov, Santos RojoAbstract:The phytophagous hoverfly genus Merodon Meigen, 1803 (Diptera, Syrphidae), which comprises more than 160 species distributed in Palaearctic and Afrotropical regions, can be differentiated into multiple groups of species that harbor high levels of hidden diversity. In this work, the serrulatus species group of Merodon is revised, providing an illustrated key to species, a detailed discussion on the taxonomic characters and a morphological diagnosis, including also the first data about the preimaginal morphology of this species group. The study includes characteristics of the 13 species of the M. serrulatus group, along with the available distributional data. Moreover, descriptions are provided for seven new species, namely M. defectus Vujic, Likov & Radenkovic sp. nov., M. disjunctus Vujic, Likov & Radenkovic sp. nov., M. medium Vujic, Likov & Radenkovic sp. nov., M. nigrocapillatus Vujic, Likov & Radenkovic sp. nov., M. nigropunctum Vujic, Likov & Radenkovic sp. nov., M. opacus Vujic, Likov & Radenkovic sp. nov., and M. trianguloculus Vujic, Likov & Radenkovic sp. nov. In addition, the taxa M. serrulatus (Wiedemann in Meigen, 1822), M. bequaerti Hurkmans, 1993, M. hirsutus Sack, 1913, M. kawamurae Matsumura, 1916, M. sacki (Paramonov, 1936) and M. sophron Hurkmans, 1993 are redefined and redescribed. Following a detailed study of the type material sourced from different entomological collections, the status of all available taxa related to M. serrulatus is revised and a new synonymy is proposed: M. tener Sack, 1913 syn. nov. (junior synonym of M. serrulatus). The identity of M. trizonus (Szilady, 1940) could not be assessed as the type specimens are lost. Thus, the name M. trizonus is considered as nomen dubium. The monophyly and composition of this species group are assessed through Maximum Parsimony and Maximum Likelihood analyses of the mitochondrial COI and nuclear 28S rRNA gene sequences.
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two new enigmatic species of the genus merodon meigen diptera Syrphidae from the north eastern middle east
Zootaxa, 2019Co-Authors: Ante Vujic, Snezana Radenkovic, Andrijana Andric, Laura Likov, Ebrahim Gilasian, A V BarkalovAbstract:Two new remarkable species of the genus Merodon Meigen (Diptera: Syrphidae) are described from biodiversity hotspots in the Middle East: Merodon eumerusi Vujic, Radenkovic et Likov sp. n. and Merodon mixtum Vujic, Radenkovic et Likov sp. n. Although M. eumerusi , from the Mountains of Central Asia, belongs clearly to the lineage of M. avidus-nigritarsis , it possesses some unique features within the genus that are also present in other Merodontini genera. M. mixtum , from the Irano-Anatolian mountains, has typical characters of different species groups within the M. albifrons lineage. Here, we discuss the unusual apomorphic characters of these newly discovered taxa and highlight the need for further analyses to ascertain the phylogenetic relationships within the tribe Merodontini and the genus Merodon .
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two new european long legged hoverfly species of the eumerus binominatus species subgroup diptera Syrphidae
ZooKeys, 2019Co-Authors: Ana Grkovic, Snezana Radenkovic, Ante Vujic, J T Smit, Jeroen Van SteenisAbstract:Eumerus Meigen (Diptera, Syrphidae) is one of the most speciose hoverfly genera in Europe, with several species groups recognized within. As part of the tricolor group of species, a subgroup of long-legged representatives stands out. We name it Eumerusbinominatus subgroup and provide descriptions for two new European species which belong to this subgroup: E.grallatorsp. nov. from mainland Spain and E.tenuitarsissp. nov. from Lesvos and Evros, Greece. A key for all five recognized species of the binominatus subgroup is provided.
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molecular species delimitation in the genus eumerus diptera Syrphidae
Bulletin of Entomological Research, 2017Co-Authors: Antonia Chroni, Mihajla Djan, Theodora Petanidou, Obreht D Vidakovic, Ante VujicAbstract:Eumerus is one of the most diverse genera of hoverfly worldwide. Species delimitation within genus is considered to be difficult due to: (a) lack of an efficient key; (b) non-defined taxonomical status of a large number of species; and (c) blurred nomenclature. Here, we present the first molecular study to delimit species of the genus by using a fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome-c oxidase subunit I gene (COI) gene. We assessed 75 specimens assigned to 28 taxa originating from two biogeographic zones: 22 from the western Palaearctic and six from the Afrotropical region. Two datasets were generated based on different sequence lengths to explore the significance of availability of more polymorphic sites for species delimitation; dataset A with a total length of 647 bp and dataset B with 746 bp. Various tree inference approaches and Poisson tree processes models were applied to evaluate the putative ‘taxonomical’ vs. ‘molecular’ taxa clusters. All analyses resulted in high taxonomic resolution and clear species delimitation for both the dataset lengths. Furthermore, we revealed a high number of mitochondrial haplotypes and high intraspecific variability. We report two major monophyletic clades, and seven ‘molecular’ groups of taxa formed, which are congruent with morphology-based taxonomy. Our results support the use of the mitochondrial COI gene in species diagnosis of Eumerus.
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bee hymenoptera apoidea and hoverfly diptera Syrphidae pollinators in pannonian habitats of serbia with a description of a new eumerus meigen species Syrphidae
Zootaxa, 2016Co-Authors: Zlata Markov, Snezana Radenkovic, Zorica Nedeljkovic, Antonio Ricarte, Ante Vujic, Snežana Jovicic, Zsolt Jozan, Sonja Mudristojnic, Aleksandar CetkovicAbstract:The diversity of bee (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) and hoverfly (Diptera: Syrphidae) pollinators from ten localities in Vojvodina, Serbia was surveyed. Among different types of Pannonian habitat (grasslands, heathland and scrub, woodland and forest habitats) all localities were categorised as forest and steppe. They were in protected areas, mostly undisturbed by human activity. Censuses of pollinators took place from 30 March to 10 October, 2014. We recorded 218 pollinator species; 135 bee species (42 Halictidae; 32 Apidae; 29 Andrenidae; 24 Megachilidae; 7 Colletidae; 1 Melittidae) and 83 species of hoverflies. We describe a new species of hoverfly, Eumerus pannonicus sp. nov., and compare it to other similar species. Based on our study, the Special Nature Reserve of Pasnjaci Velike Droplje is critical for the conservation of this new Eumerus —being only found at this locality—and other species such as Chrysotoxum lineare (Zetterstedt), which is rare in Europe and protected under Serbian legislation. The highest numbers of bee species were recorded in the Deliblato and Subotica sand areas (40 and 32, respectively), while Fruska Gora Mountain and the Vrsac Mountains harboured the highest number of hoverfly species.
Francis Gilbert - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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catalogue of the Syrphidae of egypt diptera
Zootaxa, 2019Co-Authors: Magdi S Elhawagry, Francis GilbertAbstract:All known Egyptian taxa of the family Syrphidae (flower flies or hover flies) are systematically catalogued. A total number of 51 species belonging to 22 genera, 7 tribes and 2 subfamilies has been treated, including eight species that are listed as unconfirmed records from Egypt. Data for this study have been compiled from both available literature and specimens collected from different Egyptian localities by the authors or preserved in the main Egyptian insect collections. Old World synonymies, type localities, world distributions by biogeographic realm(s) and country, Egyptian localities and activity periods are provided. Remarks on habitat, habits and biology of particular species are provided as well. Two species, Melanostoma scalare (Fabricius) and Eristalis arbustorum (Linnaeus) are recorded for the first time from Egypt.
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host preferences of aphidophagous hoverflies from field distribution of their larvae
Egyptian Journal of Biology, 2014Co-Authors: Hussein Sadeghi, Graham E Rotheray, Pavel Laska, Francis GilbertAbstract:The patterns of occurrences among aphid colonies of the larvae of two species of highly polyphagous predatory hoverflies, Episyrphus balteatus (de Geer) and Syrphus ribesii (L.) (Diptera: Syrphidae), were assessed in three areas (Nottingham, Cardiff (UK) and the Czech Republic); in the last two sites, larvae of other syrphid species were also identified. The two syrphid species showed considerable diet overlap, their larvae using many of the same aphids as food, but with significant exceptions. Together with information from the literature, even for these very generalist species there was a consistent pattern of preference among aphid species. Most other species showed restricted preferences. Larvae were more frequent on developed aphid colonies than on colonies that were younger or had almost disappeared.
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phylogeny of Syrphidae diptera inferred from combined analysis of molecular and morphological characters
Systematic Entomology, 2003Co-Authors: Gunilla Stahls, Graham E Rotheray, Heikki Hippa, Jyrki Muona, Francis GilbertAbstract:Syrphidae (Diptera) commonly called hoverflies, includes more than 5000 species world-wide. The aim of this study was to address the systematic position of the disputed elements in the intrafamilial classification of Syrphidae, namely the monophyly of Eristalinae and the placement of Microdontini and Pipizini, as well as the position of particular genera (Nausigaster, Alipumilio, Spheginobaccha). Sequence data from nuclear 28S rRNA and mitochondrial COI genes in conjunction with larval and adult morphological characters of fifty-one syrphid taxa were analysed using optimization alignment to explore phylogenetic relationships among included taxa. A species of Platypezidae, Agathomyia unicolor, was used as outgroup, and also including one representative (Jassidophaga villosa) of the sister-group of Syrphidae, Pipunculidae. Sensitivity of the data was assessed under six different parameter values. A stability tree sum- marized the results. Microdontini, including Spheginobaccha, was placed basally, and Pipizini appeared as the sister-group to subfamily Syrphinae. The monophyly of subfamily Eristalinae was supported. The results support at least two independ- ent origins of entomophagy in syrphids, and frequent shifts between larval feeding habitats within the saprophagous eristalines.
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macroevolution of hoverflies diptera Syrphidae the effect of using higher level taxa in studies of biodiversity and correlates of species richness
Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 2001Co-Authors: Aris Katzourakis, Graham E Rotheray, Andy Purvis, Salma Azmeh, Francis GilbertAbstract:We test a near-complete genus level phylogeny of hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae) for consistency with a null model of clade growth having uniform probabilities of speciation and extinction among contemporaneous species. The phylogeny is too unbalanced for this null model. Importantly, the degree of imbalance in the phylogeny depends on whether the phylogeny is analysed at the genus level or species level, suggesting that genera ought not to be used uncritically as surrogates for species in large-scale evolutionary analyses. Tests for a range of morphological, life-history and ecological correlates of diversity give equivocal results, but suggest that high species-richness may be associated with sexual selection and diet breadth. We find no correlation between species-richness and either body size or reproductive rate.
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phylogeny of palaearctic Syrphidae diptera evidence from larval stages
Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 1999Co-Authors: Graham E Rotheray, Francis GilbertAbstract:We estimated the phylogeny of Palaearctic Syrphidae using 187 larval morphological characters obtained from about 65% of the fauna (85 supraspecific taxa represented by 118 species) and based the analysis at the generic level. The root of the syrphid tree was established from an outgroup consisting of other Aschizan families: the Platypezidae, Phoridae and Pipunculidae, with the tree rooted on the Lonchopteridae. The Syrphidae was the most derived Aschizan family. The Pipunculidae was the sister group to the Syrphidae.Eumerus was basal within Syrphidae. A trend exists towards increasing complexity of integumental folds and grooves across the Aschiza. In movement, the integument collapses along the line of these grooves. Grooves are evidence of muscles forming functional groups. Elaboration of independent groups of muscles appears to underlie much of the evolution of larval form within Aschiza. The basal feeding modes of syrphid larvae are mycophagy and phytophagy. Above these feeding modes, all remaining syrphids fall into one of two lineages comprising entomophages and saprophages, each of which has a single origin within the apparently polyphyleticVolucella. Major morphological innovation is associated with shifts between feeding modes; within feeding modes, change is gradual and tends towards increasing complexity. Change is mostly in structures associated with the mouthparts, thorax, anal segment and locomotory organs. Generic diagnoses with biological and taxonomic notes and a key to genera using larval characters are provided.
