Date of Award:

5-1-2005

Document Type:

Dissertation

Degree Name:

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department:

Biology

Committee Chair(s)

Carol D. von Dohlen

Committee

Carol D. von Dohlen

Committee

Barbara J. Bentz

Committee

James H. Cane

Committee

James P. Pitts

Committee

Paul G. Wolf

Abstract

Stratiomyidae is a diverse, cosmopolitan family of Diptera (true flies). One of its twelve subfamilies, Clitellariinae, is distributed in all major biogeographic regions except Antarctica. Understanding the evolutionary history of Clitellariinae is key to reconstructing the phylogeny of Stratiomyidae as a whole because Clitellariinae is united only by shared ancestral characters, and, thus, may not be a natural group. This research investigates the relationships between the genera currently placed within Clitellariinae and the subfamilial relationships of Stratiomyidae using morphology, molecules, and combined data. Morphology was analyzed with the method of parsimony using 97 adult characters. Molecular analyses were performed with parsimony and Bayesian methods, using the elongation factor 1-α and 28S ribosomal genes. Total evidence was performed by parsimony and Bayesian methods, using the combined molecular and morphological datasets. Morphological, molecular, and total evidence trees were not wholly congruent with respect to placement of Clitellariinae genera, but all indicated that Clitellariinae is probably not monophyletic. Trees were congruent with respect to monophyly of most other subfamilies. Separate and combined analyses also agreed that Stratiomyinae is paraphyletic. Analysis of morphological data alone found the subfamily Sarginae to be paraphyletic, a result that was not indicated with either molecular or combined data. All datasets and analyses strongly supported the groupings of (Dicyphoma + Cyphomyia), (Abavus + Acropeltates), (Lagenosoma + Auloceromyia), as well as subfamilial relationships of (Sarginae + Hermetiinae) and (Stratiomyinae + Raphiocerinae). The results of this study vastly improve the knowledge of relationships within Clitellariinae and Stratiomyidae. This study contributes broadly to the growing knowledge of Diptera systematics, and may aid in reconstructing more confident relationships between higher level groupings in Diptera in the future.

Download

Included in

Biology Commons

Share

COinS

Copyright for this work is retained by the student. If you have any questions regarding the inclusion of this work in the Digital Commons, please email us at .