Evolution and diversification of snail-killing flies (Diptera, Sciomyzidae)

Author(s)

Marcela Maria Parada Zichinelli

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: Ribeirão Preto.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto (PCARP/BC)
• Defense date: 2025-02-05

Examining board members

Dalton de Souza Amorim; Gabriela Procopio Camacho; Marcoandre Savaris

• Advisor: Dalton de Souza Amorim; Jessica Paula Gillung

Abstract

Parasitoids feed inside or on another organism to complete their development, resulting in the host\'s death. Among the organisms presenting this way of life, the snail-killing flies (Sciomyzidae) are one of the most extensively studied groups in terms of biology and life cycle, largely due to their importance in the biocontrol of tropical diseases such as schistosomiasis. The family Sciomyzidae comprises 548 described species worldwide, classified into three subfamilies - Phaeomyiinae, Salticellinae and Sciomyzinae - all of which exhibit a parasitoid habit. Current phylogenetic hypotheses for this group still present gaps that make it difficult to understand how parasitoidy evolved within the sciomyzids. This study aimed to estimate the phylogenetic relationships of the family and investigate the evolution of parasitoid habit through macroevolutionary analysis. Using low coverage whole genome sequencing (lc-wgs), genomic data of 89 species of Sciomyzidae were obtained to reconstruct the sciomyzid tree of life. Ultraconserved elements (UCEs) were extracted from these sequences using the Phyluce pipeline. The phylogenetic analysis included 1,237 UCEs and employed maximum likelihood (ML) as the optimality criterion. The subfamilies Phaeomyiinae and Sciomyzinae (Sciomyzini + Tetanocerini) were recovered as monophyletic groups and phylogenetic relationships between more inclusive taxa were resolved. The results from ancestral character state reconstruction (ACSR) were inconclusive, leaving the ancestral larval habit of Sciomyzidae uncertain. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 22/10538-7 - Evolution and diversification of snail-killing flies (Diptera, Sciomyzidae)
• Grantee: Marcela Maria Parada Zichinelli
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master