Molecular Systematics of the Calliphoridae (Diptera: Oestroidea): Evidence From One Mitochondrial and Three Nuclear Genes

Abstract

Approximately 8% of calyptrate species diversity comes from the Calliphoridae, which includes ßies of medical, veterinary, and forensic importance. The status of family Calliphoridae has for years been the central systematic problem of the superfamily Oestroidea, and phylogenetic relationships between the key groups of the Calliphoridae are unresolved and controversial. We reconstructed phylogenies of the Calliphoridae within the larger context of the other Oestroidea based on 5,189 bp of combined data from one mitochondrial (cytochrome oxidase subunit one) and three nuclear (carbamoylphosphate synthetase, elongation factor one alpha, and 28S ribosomal RNA) genes using maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian methods. Trees obtained from the different phylogenetic methods were almost identical. Calliphoridae is polyphyletic, with the phylogenetic position of Mesembrinellinae still uncertain but clearly outside the lineage that includes other Calliphoridae and some noncalliphorids, and Polleniinae is the sister group of the family Tachinidae. Strong support for a sister group relationship between Rhiniinae and traditional calliphorid subfamilies conßicts with a recent proposal to give Rhiniinae family status. All calliphorid subfamilies (except Calliphorinae) for which we had more than one species were monophyletic. Melanomyinae was nested within Calliphorinae. Toxotarsinae was more closely related to Calliphorinae rather than, as indicated by morphology, to Chrysomyinae. Efforts to resolve the relationships of the Oestroid families were largely inconclusive, although the monophyly of the superfamily was strongly supported.

Phylogenetic radiation of the greenbottle flies (Diptera, Calliphoridae, Luciliinae)

“…Similarly, another study (Singh and Wells 2013) found Hemipyrellia to be sister-group to Lucilia , but this was based on one specimen of Lucilia sericata and one specimen of Hemipyrellia fernandica . Several other studies have sequenced Hemipyrellia specimens and found them to lie within Lucilia (Wells et al 2007, Park et al 2009, Liu et al 2011, McDonagh and Stevens 2011).…”

A metagenomic assessment of the bacteria associated with Lucilia sericata and Lucilia cuprina (Diptera: Calliphoridae)

“…Improved biological knowledge of species from the blow fly (Diptera: Calliphoridae) genus Lucilia Robineau-Desvoidy, especially the sister species Lucilia sericata (Meigen) and Lucilia cuprina (Wiedemann), benefits basic (Singh and Wells 2013), medical (Greenberg 1973;Sherman 2009;Sherman et al 2000;Sherman and Pechter 1988), veterinary (Stevens and Wall 1996), and forensic science endeavors (Anderson 2000;Grassberger and Reiter 2001;Sze et al 2012;Tarone 2007;Tarone and Foran 2008;Tarone et al 2007;Tarone et al 2011). Since these species are primary colonizers of carrion, developmental data from these species can be useful for predicting the ages of immature blow flies associated with a body, which can help in estimating a minimum time of colonization for death investigations (Amendt et al 2007;Tomberlin et al 2011).…”

Genome sequence of Phormia regina Meigen (Diptera: Calliphoridae): implications for medical, veterinary and forensic research

“…Calliphoridae includes approximately 1500 different species and accounts for ~8 % of calyptrate species diversity [8]. Many lineages within Calliphoridae have evolved specialized adaptations.…”

“…Over the past decade, dipteran draft genomes including the fruit fly ( Drosophila melanogaster , [3]), the house fly ( Musca domestica , [4]), and the malaria mosquito ( Anopheles gambiae , [5]) have been published. Within Diptera, the family Calliphoridae, commonly known as blow flies, comprises ~1500 species [6, 7], and contributes 8 % of species diversity in calyptrate flies [8]. Calliphorids are ubiquitous, distributed world-wide, and are important in the medical [9–12], veterinary/agricultural [13–16] and forensic fields [17, 18].…”