Phylogeny of Pnyxiopalpus Vilkamaa & Hippa, with the description of P. persimplex sp. n. (Diptera, Sciaridae)

Abstract

Phylogeny of the Oriental genus Pnyxiopalpus Vilkamaa & Hippa, 1999 was re-studied in the light of the recently described, putatively related genus Vulagisciara Evenhuis, 2007, from Fiji, and a new species of Pnyxiopalpus, P. persimplex sp. n. from Selangor, Malaysia. Characters of these taxa were added to a previously published data matrix . The parsimony analysis yields two most parsimonious cladograms. In the strict concensus cladogram, Vulagisciara appears as the sister group of a monophyletic Pnyxiopalpus. Pnyxiopalpus persimplex sp. n. is described. The new species shares the basic structure of Pnyxiopalpus, but lacks some of the unique morphological modifications present in congeneric species. P. persimplex appears as the sister species to P. simplex, these two species together appearing as the sister group to all other Pnyxiopalpus.