Systematics and Biogeography of Mythicomyiidae(Diptera) based on morphological evidence

• Ano de defesa: 2025
• Autor(a) principal: Santos, Luanna Layla Mendes
• Tipo de documento: Tese
• Tipo de acesso: Acesso aberto
• Idioma: eng
• Instituição de defesa: Biblioteca Digitais de Teses e Dissertações da USP
• Palavras-chave em Português: Asiloidea; Biogeografia baseada em eventos; Brachycera; Event-based biogeography; Filogenia; Mythicomyiinae; Phylogeny; taxonomy
• Link de acesso: https://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/38/38131/tde-28012026-151818/

Mythicomyiidae, commonly known as micro bee flies, is a group of flies widely distributed across all biogeographic regions, being more common in arid and semi-arid environments. Many species are floral visitors, highlighting their potential role as pollinators and their possible importance in the conservation and sustainment of a healthy ecosystem. The family comprises 474 species in 39 genera and has traditionally been classified into six subfamilies: Psiloderoidinae, Platypyginae, Glabellulinae, Empidideicinae, Leylaiyinae, and Mythicomyiinae. This classification has long been accepted without critical evaluation or a comprehensive cladistic analysis. The primary goal of this study is to perform a phylogenetic analysis of the Mythicomyiidae based on morphological characters to test the monophyly of the family, its subfamilies, and genera. We examined specimens from all over the world and the data were compiled into a morphological data matrix containing 186 discrete characters, comprising 133 species of all 39 genera currently described and three new genera in the ingroup, and 15 species in the outgroup, representing the Hilarimorphidae, Bombyliidae, Asilidae, Scenopinidae, and Therevidae. Parsimony analyses were performed in TNT 1.5 using \"New Technologies\" searches under implicit weighting. To infer the biogeographical history of the group, an event-based analysis was performed using the \"Geographically Explicit Event Model\", incorporating a total of 356 localities. The phylogenetic analysis retrieved a single most parsimonious tree with k=14,712, 2048 steps, CI=11 and RI=60, which demonstrates the monophyly of the Mythicomyiidae family. Among the subfamilies, only Platypyginae, Empidideicinae, and Leylaiyinae are monophyletic (with new rearrangements recovered in the analysis), while Psiloderoidinae, Glabellulinae, and Mythicomyiinae proved to be polyphyletic. Regarding the genera (excluding monotypic genera), most were recovered as monophyletic, except for Reissa Evenhuis & Baéz, Cephalodromia Becker, and Tolkunia Evenhuis. We propose the transfer of Reissa kohlsi Evenhuis to the genus Mythicomyia Coquillett; C. dichadopernics Evenhuis does not share a more recent common ancestor with Cephalodromia and requires recognition at the generic level, the same applies to Tolkunia sp. 2. The subgenera of Empidideicus Becker (except Cyrtoides) and Paraconsors Hall & Evenhuis were not recovered as monophyletic; therefore, synonymy of these subgenera is proposed. In contrast, the subgenera of Mythicomyia requires further investigation. Based on the recovered synapomorphies, a reclassification was proposed, including the establishment of two new subfamilies: Ahessinae subfam. n., to accommodate the genera Ahessea Greathead & Evenhuis and Gen. nov. C and Paraconsorsinae subfam. n. to accommodate the genera Nexus Hall & Evenhuis and Paraconsors. Thus, the family now comprises eight subfamilies. The biogeographical analysis yielded a single biogeographical reconstruction, explained by the following events: 17 vicariances, 9 sympatries, 7 point sympatry, and 99 founder events; revealing large-scale dispersal as the main driving event in the diversification and distribution of Mythicomyiidae. This study constitutes the first phylogenetic and biogeographical hypothesis for Mythicomyiidae, representing a significant advance in the systematic and evolutionary knowledge of the group, clarifying its internal relationships, origin, and biogeographic trajectory over geological time.