Full text
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| Author(s): |
Priscylla Moll
Total Authors: 1
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| Document type: | Master's Dissertation |
| Press: | São Paulo. |
| Institution: | Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Instituto de Biociências (IBIOC/SB) |
| Defense date: | 2015-01-16 |
| Examining board members: |
Carlos José Einicker Lamas;
Claudio José Barros de Carvalho;
Catia Antunes de Mello Patiu
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| Advisor: | Carlos José Einicker Lamas |
| Abstract | |
Mesembrinellidae is an exclusive Neotropical group of Diptera, which includes 36 described species. Members of this group are restricted to tropical rainforests and found from Southern Mexico to Northern Argentina. The placement of this family within Oestroidea has generated frequent discussions in the literature. Traditionally, the group has been placed within the Calliphoridae s.l., but some authors have suggested the subfamily merits full species status. In addition, the interspecific relationships of this group remained unclear and some genera appeared not to be monophyletic. In this study, the main goals were: to test Mesembrinellidae monophyly; to test genera monophyly; to infer the relationships of Mesembrinellidae species and to perform a biogeographic analysis, based on the phylogenetic hypothesis. One hundred twenty (120) characters were constructed and cladistics analyses were performed, under equal and implied weighting schemes. Under the equal weighting analysis, 392 equally parsimonious trees were obtained (L=671; IC=21; RI=67), with the strict consensus showing many polytomies in the cladogram. On the other hand, the implied weighting analysis resulted in only one most parsimonious tree (L=679; CI=21; RI=67; κ=9,6875), much more structured and with few politomies, in comparison to the previous analysis. The results indicated most of genera were recovered as monophyletic. However, they were poorly supported, because of the absence of synapomorphies and a low branch support. The biogeographic analyses showed Mesembrinellidae´s origin was probably in South America and the southernmost part of Central America, having dispersed lateron to Central America. Moreover, the area (Pacific Dominion) that connects Central and South America seems to play an important role in Mesembrinellidae biogeographic evolution, being the ancestral area for two major clades inside the group, in different times. Furthermore, the area relationships indicated the northern part of the Amazon is more closely related to the dry central areas of South America than to jungle regions of this continent, which contradicts the theories about the dry areas being disconnected and having an isolated history in the Neotropical region. Given the results of this study of mesembrinellid genera, and the fact that the genera were weakly supported by our data, we conclude that for now, all species should be placed in a single genus, Mesembrinella (AU) | |
| FAPESP's process: | 12/09256-5 - Cladistic and biogeographic analysis of Huascaromusca Townsend, 1918 (Diptera, Calliphoridae, Mesembrinellinae) |
| Grantee: | Priscylla Moll de Arruda |
| Support Opportunities: | Scholarships in Brazil - Master |