Phylogenetic Relationships of Microdontinae (Diptera: Syrphidae) Based on Molecular and Morphological Characters
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Systematic Entomology (2013), 38, 661–688 DOI: 10.1111/syen.12020 Phylogenetic relationships of Microdontinae (Diptera: Syrphidae) based on molecular and morphological characters MENNO REEMER1 and GUNILLA STAHLS˚ 2 1Naturalis Biodiversity Center, European Invertebrate Survey, Leiden, The Netherlands and 2Finnish Museum of Natural History, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland Abstract. The intrasubfamilial classification of Microdontinae Rondani (Diptera: Syrphidae) has been a challenge: until recently more than 300 out of more than 400 valid species names were classified in Microdon Meigen. We present phylogenetic analyses of molecular and morphological characters (both separate and combined) of Microdontinae. The morphological dataset contains 174 characters, scored for 189 taxa (9 outgroup), representing all 43 presently recognized genera and several subgenera and species groups. The molecular dataset, representing 90 ingroup species of 28 genera, comprises sequences of five partitions in total from the mitochondrial gene COI and the nuclear ribosomal genes 18S and 28S . We test the sister-group relationship of Spheginobaccha with the other Microdontinae, attempt to elucidate phylogenetic relationships within the Microdontinae and discuss uncertainties in the classification of Microdontinae. Trees based on molecular characters alone are poorly resolved, but combined data are better resolved. Support for many deeper nodes is low, and placement of such nodes differs between parsimony and Bayesian analyses. However, Spheginobaccha is recovered as highly supported sister group in both. Both analyses agree on the early branching of Mixogaster, Schizoceratomyia, Afromicrodon and Paramicrodon. The taxonomical rank in relation to the other Syrphidae is discussed briefly. An additional analysis based on morphological characters only, including all 189 taxa, used implied weighting. A range of weighting strengths (k-values) is applied, chosen such that values of character fit of the resulting trees are divided into regular intervals. Results of this analysis are used for discussing the phylogenetic relationships of genera unrepresented in the molecular dataset. Introduction Since Rondani (1845) introduced the family group name Microdonellae, this group has been recognized as distinct from The Microdontinae, a subfamily of Syrphidae (Diptera), are other Syrphidae, albeit under different spellings and taxo- distributed over all continents except Antarctica. The vast nomic ranks. Only occasionally genera were included which majority of the 454 described species occurs in the tropics, nowadays are considered to belong elsewhere (Lioy, 1864; of which 203 are in the Neotropics. With 64 species known Williston, 1886; Shatalkin, 1975a,b). However, placement of from the Holarctic region, the group is less well represented in the group relative to other Syrphidae has been unstable, with temperate regions (Reemer & Stahls,˚ 2013), perhaps explaining treatment as a tribe within the subfamily Syrphinae (Williston, the limited taxonomic attention. 1886), a subtribe within the tribe Volucellini (Goffe, 1952), a family (Thompson, 1972) and a subfamily (Verrall, 1901; Stahls˚ et al., 2003; Cheng & Thompson, 2008) (see Reemer & Stahls,˚ 2013). Correspondence: Menno Reemer, Naturalis Biodiversity Center, European Invertebrate Survey, PO Box 9517, 2300 RA Leiden, The The most recent advocates of a family status for Microdon- Netherlands. E-mail:[email protected] tinae are Thompson (1972) and Speight (1987, 2010), based on © 2013 The Authors. Systematic Entomology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of The Royal Entomological Society. 661 This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. 662 M. Reemer and G. St˚ahls the ‘basal’ relationship of Microdontinae with other Syrphidae otherwise obvious synonyms (e.g. Aphritis Macquart, Colacis as inferred by Thompson (1969) from a Hennigian argumenta- Gistel, Holmbergia Lynch Arribalzaga) and taxa based only tion scheme of characters considered of critical importance. on immature stages (e.g. Ceratoconcha Simroth, Nothomi- Speight (1987) found additional morphological differences crodon Wheeler) (for more information on these names and between Microdontinae and other Syrphidae used to support synonymies, see Cheng & Thompson, 2008). Many new or family status. Recent studies have confirmed this sister-group little known species were included which had been unassigned relationship (Skevington & Yeates, 2000; Stahls˚ et al., 2003; previously, or were lumped under Microdon despite morpho- Rotheray & Gilbert, 2008). Although most recent authors con- logical peculiarities. Descriptions can be found in Reemer sider the group as a subfamily of the Syrphidae (Stahls˚ et al., &Stahls˚ (2013). When possible, more than one species per 2003; Cheng & Thompson, 2008), others prefer family rank genus group was included: for Spheginobaccha the six species (Speight, 2010). represent all three species groups of Thompson (1974). Classification of Spheginobaccha de Meijere has received The studied specimens were obtained from many sources. special attention by several authors and its phylogenetic When possible, the primary types were studied, especially position has shifted between different subfamilies of Syrphidae when no additional material was available. All specimens (reviewed by Thompson, 1974). The first to include this genus used for constructing the morphological matrix are listed in in the Microdontinae was Hull (1949), after which Thompson Table S1. (1969) excluded it, but Shatalkin (1975a) included it again. Characters were scored mostly from males. For four taxa of Based on a phylogenetic analysis of combined morphological which only females were available, male genital characters and molecular data, Stahls˚ et al. (2003) placed Spheginobaccha were derived from closely related species. This approach in the Microdontinae with the genus assigned as the sister was implemented only for taxa closely similar in external group to all other Microdontinae. morphology, and which obviously belong to the same genus or Previous phylogenetic hypotheses concerning Microdonti- species group (indicated in the ‘remarks’ column in Table S1). nae relied on too few taxa in relation to the high morphological In the molecular dataset, as many taxa as possible were diversity, for example, two in Skevington & Yeates (2000) and included, depending on the availability of specimens for sixinStahls˚ et al. (2003) and Hippa & Stahls˚ (2005). Rela- molecular analyses. The list of specimens used for DNA tionships within the Microdontinae remain completely unad- extraction, including locality and collection data as well as dressed. Specifically, the supposed sister-group relationship GenBank accession numbers, is given in Table S1. Mor- of Spheginobaccha and the other Microdontinae needs test- phological and molecular characters are based on specimens ing by much broader taxon sampling. For instance, Aristosyr- of the same species, except for Rhopalosyrphus ramulorum phus Curran, Eurypterosyrphus Barretto & Lane and Mixo- Weems & Deyrup for which morphological characters are gaster Macquart share features with Spheginobaccha,suchas based on a specimen of the closely related R. guntheri (Lynch a hypandrium with apical part consisting of two separate lobes, Arribalzaga). an unfurcate phallus and characters of wing venation (Reemer Specimens used for DNA extraction came from a wide &Stahls,˚ 2013). An extended taxon set maximally represent- variety of sources and collection methods. Fresh material (up ing genus groups (whether recognized previously or not) better to 3 years old) collected directly into ethanol was rare, so older tests this sister-group relationship. material (up to about 10 years old), sometimes preserved dry, Here we examine the phylogenetic relationships of the was used also. PCR results thus differed strongly among the (sub)genera within the subfamily, based on molecular and taxa and among the genetic markers. morphological characters. We analyse a combination of morphological and molecular characters from a large set Root and outgroup of microdontine taxa to test the sister-group relationship of Spheginobaccha with the other Microdontinae, attempt to The analysis was rooted on Chalarus spurius (Fallen)´ elucidate phylogenetic relationships within the Microdontinae (Diptera: Pipunculidae). Pipunculidae have been previously and discuss uncertainties in the classification of Microdontinae recovered as the sister group of Syrphidae (Skevington & as proposed by Reemer & Stahls˚ (2013). The rank of the group Yeates, 2000; Yeates et al., 2007; Rotheray & Gilbert, 2008). in relation to the other Syrphidae is discussed briefly. Chalarus Walker is a presumed ‘basal’ taxon in the pipunculid phylogeny (Rafael & De Meyer, 1992; Skevington & Yeates, Materials and methods 2000). The outgroup includes another pipunculid, Nephrocerus lapponicus Zetterstedt as well as selected taxa from the Selection of ingroup taxa and specimens syrphid subfamilies Syrphinae and Eristalinae, which together form the putative sister of Microdontinae (Stahls˚ et al., 2003; The starting point for the selection of ingroup taxa for Hippa & Stahls,˚ 2005). Taxa were selected from tribes morphological analysis were the genus group names of Chrysogasterini [Neoascia tenur (Harris), Eristalini Eristalis Microdontinae