The Calliphoridae (Blowflies) (Diptera: Oestroidea) are Not a Monophyletic Group¹

Abstract

To investigate the monophyly and phylogenetic relationships of the Calliphoridae (blowflies), 23 terminal monophyletic taxa within the Oestroidea and two outgroup taxa (Muscidae and Anthomyiidae) were scored for 45 adult and larval characters and subjected to analyses using parsimony. Search for trees of maximum total fit (using Pee-Wee) gave nine different trees for the possible values of the concavity constant, whereas search for minimum length trees under equal weights (using NONA and PAUP) gave two, different, trees. The preferred trees are those obtained from the maximum-fit searches since they are derived from a method that lowers the weight of characters showing within-terminal as well as within-tree homoplasy. The family Calliphoridae in various commonly used senses (excluding Oestridae s.lat.; including the Rhiniinae; excluding or including the Rhinoporidae; excluding or including Mystacinobia) does not appear to be a monophyletic group. It appears as such only in trees having a much lower total fit than the optimal trees (maximum fit approach) or only in a very small fraction of the numerous trees five or nine steps longer than the minimum length trees. The assemblage (Rhiniinae+Toxotarsinae+Chrysomyinae), sometimes assumed to be a natural taxon on account of common possession of a row of setae on the upper surface of the stem-vein, should likewise be rejected. A clade (Ameniini+Euphumosia+Phumosiinae+Mesembrinellinae+ Parameniini+Catapicephala) is possibly Gondwanian. A clade (Toxotarsinae+Chrysomyinae+Calliphorinae+ Luciliinae+Melanomyinae) contains all the sarcosaprophagous "blowflies". The group (Tachinidae+ Sarcophagidae) is possibly the monophyletic sister group of the Rhiniinae. Mystacinobia emerges from the analyses as the sister group of all other Oestroidea, and the family Axiniidae as the sister group of all the other non-mystacinobiine oestroids. Although Mystacinobia is a guano-feeder in all stages, the biology of the other basal oestroid taxa indicates that a reproductive association with living or dead invertebrates is the primitive oestroid pattern. Fossils having a bearing upon the estimation of the age of various oestroid clades are discussed.

Mesembrinellinae (Diptera: Calliphoridae) to edge effects in the Tinguá Biological Reserve, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

“…They proposed a higher-level phylogenetic hypothesis for the Calyptratae based on an extensive DNA sequence, and within the Oestroidea they confirmed with molecular data that the Calliphoridae are a paraphyletic grade of lineages. This corroborates Rognes (2005) who considered that the Calliphoridae (Blowflies) are not a monophyletic group.…”

The world woodlouse flies (Diptera, Rhinophoridae)

“…vikhrevi Cerretti, Ziegler & Pape, 2015 Ventrops vikhrevi Cerretti et al 2015: 580. Pape (1986)], subfamily Melanomyinae [teste Rognes (1991Rognes ( , 1997Rognes ( , 2011 Pape (1986) and Rognes (1986), see also Downes (1986)], subfamily Melanomyinae [teste Rognes (1991Rognes ( , 1997Rognes ( , 2011]. Morinia Robineau-Desvoidy 1830: 264.…”

“…Morinia Robineau-Desvoidy 1830: 264. Valid genus in the family Calliphoridae [teste Pape (1986)], subfamily Polleniinae [teste Rognes (1991Rognes ( , 1997Rognes ( , 2011 Pape (1986)], subfamily Bengaliinae [teste Rognes (2011) and Singh and Rognes (2015)].…”

“…The family Rhinophoridae is a member of the Oestroidea, but its phylogenetic position within this clade is still unresolved (Pape 1992, Rognes 1997, Pape and Arnaud 2001, Kutty et al 2010, Winkler et al 2015, Cerretti et al 2017, Kutty et al 2019. The most recent analyses based on morphology indicate a sister-group relationship to Rhiniidae (Pape and Arnaud 2001) or to the monotypic New Zealand family Mystacinobiidae, with Rhiniidae subordinate to these (Cerretti et al 2017), which find most arguments from first instar larval morphology, which is very superficially known for the latter group (Ferrar 1987, Rognes 2002.…”

Within‐Terminal Steps and Fit Calculation—A Warning to Pee‐Wee Users

“…that few matrices contain characters with the problem-In the PAUP* version 4 program by D. L. Swofford, atic WPTO states. The only one I know of is the matrix the quantity (TL Ϫ R) replaces ES of the original fit of Rognes (1997), which contain three such characters function in its implementation of the Goloboff criterion (Nos. 14, 17, and 21), with two, one, and one WPTO (D. L. Swofford, personal communication).…”