Cladistic and biogeographic analyses of Huascaromusca Townsend, 1918 (Diptera, Calliphoridae, Mesembrinellinae)

• Grant number: 13/16525-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Master's degree
• Start date: November 01, 2013
• End date: January 31, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Zoology - Taxonomy of Recent Groups
• Principal Investigator: Carlos José Einicker Lamas
• Grantee: Priscylla Moll de Arruda
• Supervisor: Norman E. Woodley
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 12/09256-5 - Cladistic and biogeographic analysis of Huascaromusca Townsend, 1918 (Diptera, Calliphoridae, Mesembrinellinae), BP.MS

Abstract

Calliphoridae is a family of calyptrate characterized mainly by the metallic color of all or part of the body. The Family has five subfamilies, being one of then Mesembrinellinae, which consists of exclusively neotropical species of moist tropical forests, easily characterized by yellowish-brown coloration of the thorax and metallic abdomen. Currently there are about 30 recognized species in the group and their placement within Calliphoridae has been generating frequent discussions in the literature, including with the proposal of a family status by some authors. This is possibly a reflection of the need for phylogenetic studies of the group. Among the nine genera that compose Mesembrinellinae, Huascaromusca is historically the most overlooked genus in the studies related to the subfamily and needs further studies. Huascaromusca is comprised of eight species distributed in six countries in the Neotropics, from Brazil to Costa Rica, but with a large gap of geographical distribution that may reflect the poor knowledge of the group. This project aims to infer the phylogenetic relationships of this genus, and from the generated phylogeny, conduct a biogeography study. (AU)