Revisão e análise filogenética de Elmohardyia Rafael, 1987 (Diptera: Pipunculidae)

Abstract

Elmohardyia Rafael, 1987 (Diptera: Pipunculidae: Pipunculinae) is exclusively a New World genus, with greater richness and diversity in the Neotropical region. The genus currently comprises 63 described species (including one subspecies), of which only two are known from the Neartic region. There is no identification key for the species of the genus, there has never been a study directed to test its monophyletism, and the phylogenetic relationships among its species have never been investigated. The taxonomic revision of the neotropical species was made by Rafael in 1988 when the genus was represented by few described species. After that, few papers were published, including descriptions of new species or revisions of local faunas. As for the external morphology, in general, the descriptions and redescriptions of the species of the genus are adequate, however, the descriptions of the male terminalia are succinct and important characters for the recognition and separation of the species were omitted. The objectives of this work were: (i) to carry out a taxonomic revision of Elmohardyia, and (ii) to test the monophyly of the genus and to investigate the relationships among its species, based on morphological characters. The results of this work are presented in the format of chapters structured as follows: (i) chapter I - a review of the genus was carried out, an updated diagnosis for the genus was proposed, the previously described species were reviewed and redescribed based on the type material, when available; 41 new species of Elmohardyia were described and an identification key for all species with known males was provided. The male and female terminalia as well as other structures used for identification were illustrated. Three neartic species described by Hardy (1943), which were allocated in Eudorylas Aczél, were transferred to Elmohardyia, namely: E. aquavicina comb. nov., E. grandis comb. nov. and E. huachucana comb. nov. Lectotypes were designated for E. atlantica (Hough) pres. desig. and E. doelloi (Shannon) pres. desig. Elmohardyia argyrogaster Rafael was redescribed based on the male holotype, and two males paratypes from its type series were described as two new species. The genus is recorded for the first time in Belize, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala and Venezuela; (ii) chapter II - a cladistic analysis of Elmohardyia was performed based on 75 morphological characters and 107 terminal taxa, as a result the monophyletism of Elmohardyia was corroborated and a phylogenetic hypothesis about the internal relationships of the genus is being proposed for the first time.