Abai, MR

6th International Congress of DipterologyPhylogenetic relationships of the Blephariceridae (Diptera)inferred from morphological and molecular charactersCourtney, G.W. (1) & J.K. Moulton (2)(1) Department of Entomology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA(2) Department of Entomology & Plant Pathology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville,TN, 37996, USARelationships among genera and more inclusive clades of net-wingedmidges (Diptera: Blephariceridae) have been difficult to resolve withconfidence. Part of this difficulty presumably reflects common andextreme adaptive constraints on the immature stages, which reside intorrenticolous habitats. Previous phylogenetic hypotheses have providedrelatively robust support for monophyly of the subfamily Edwardsininae,the subfamily Blepharicerinae, and, to a lesser extent, the tribeApistomyiini and various generic groupings. In general, monophyly of thetribes Paltostomatini and Blepharicerini, and the relationships betweenthese tribes and apistomyiines have been much more contentious. In orderto test hypotheses on relationships between subfamilies, tribes, and generaof Blephariceridae, we examined exemplars of nearly all genera formorphological characters, and two-thirds of known genera for molecularcharacters. The latter included multiple exemplars of all subfamilies andtribes, and usually at least two species from each exemplar genus.Molecular data were primarily from a new, rapidly evolving, nuclearencodinggene (“tuftelin-interacting protein”). Our analysis providedsupport for new and existing hypotheses about relationships among netwingedmidges. Data showed strong support for both subfamilies, the tribeBlepharicerini, and a combined Paltostomatini + Apistomyiini.Relationships within these tribes included a range of support values, withpaltostomatines and basal blepharicerines being the least resolved.Key Words: Blephariceridae, phylogenetics, morphology, molecular, netwingedmidges50