Skip to main content Skip to main navigation menu Skip to site footer
Responsive image
Issue: Vol. 4521 No. 3: 15 Nov. 2018
Type: Article
Published: 2018-11-14
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4521.3.1
Page range: 301–334
Abstract views: 112
PDF downloaded: 46

A new genus, Protaustrosimulium, for four species of Australian black flies (Diptera: Simuliidae)

Department of Natural History, Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen's Park, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 2C6.
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada, T6G 2E9.
Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, 205 Ellington Plant Sciences Building, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA 37996-4560.
Gondwana Australia Diptera Simuliidae Cnephia Paracnephia

Abstract

Protaustrosimulium n. gen. is described for four species: two previously named species from southeastern Australia—Paracnephia pilfreyi (Davies & Györkös 1988) and Paracnephia terebrans (Tonnoir 1925)—plus two newly described ones from the southwestern-most corner of Western Australia—Prot. amphorum n. sp. and Prot. opscurum n. sp. Molecular and morphological data suggest a close relationship between members of the new genus and Austrosimulium Tonnoir 1925. Monophyly of Protaustrosimulium is supported mainly by characters of adult females, as two of the four species are known only in that life stage. Two species groups are recognized: the pilfreyi-group for Prot. pilfreyi and Prot. amphorum, and the terebrans-group for Prot. terebrans and Prot. opscurum. The constituent species in each group are distributed vicariously in southeastern and southwestern Australia—a common biogeographical pattern in Australian simuliids.

 

References

  1. Adler, P.H. & Crosskey, R.W. (2008) World Blackfly (Diptera: Simuliidae): a fully revised edition of the taxonomic and geographic inventory. 105 pp.

    Bugledich, E.-M.A. (1999) Diptera: Nematocera. Simuliidae. In: Wells, A. & Houston, W.W.K. (Eds.), Zoological Catalogue of Australia. 30.1. CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne, pp. 325–337.

    Craig, D.A. (2003) Geomorphology, development of running water habitats, and evolution of black flies on Polynesian islands. Bioscience, 53, 1079–1093.
    https://doi.org/10.1641/0006-3568(2003)053%5B1079:GDORWH%5D2.0.CO;2

    Craig, D.A. (2011) Taxonomist as Sherlock Holmes. Fly Times, 46, 4–7.

    Craig, D.A., Craig, R.E.G. & Crosby, T.K. (2012) Simuliidae. Fauna of New Zealand, 68, 1–336.
    Available from: https://biotaxa.org/fnz/article/view/1840/3116 (accessed 22 September 2018)

    Craig, D.A., Currie, D.C. & Vernon, P. (2003) Crozetia Davies (Diptera: Simuliidae): redescription of Cr. crozetensis, Cr. seguyi, number of larval instars, phylogenetic relationships and historical biogeography. Zootaxa, 259 (1), 1–39.

    https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.259.1.1

    Craig, D.A., Moulton, J.K. & Currie, D.C. (2017) Taxonomic revision of Paraustrosimulium Wygodzinsky & Coscarón: reassignment of Austrosimulium colboi and description of P. obcidens n. sp. from Western Australia. Zootaxa, 4337 (4), 451–492
    https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4337.4.1

    Craig, D.A., Currie, D.C. & Moulton, J.K. (2018a) Reassignment of Western Australia Paracnephia gladiator Moulton & Adler to a new genus, Bunyipellum (Diptera: Simuliidae). Zootaxa, 4375 (3), 341–357.
    https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4375.3.3

    Craig, D.A., Currie, D.C. & Moulton, J.K. (2018b) Nothogreniera new genus, for two species of Australian "Paracnephia" (Diptera: Simuliidae). Zootaxa, 4444 (4), 351–380.
    https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4444.4.1

    Crosskey, R.W. (1987) An annotated checklist of the world black flies (Diptera: Simuliidae). In: Kim, K.-C. & Merritt, R.W. (Eds.), Black flies: Ecology, population management and annotated world list. The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, pp. 425–528.

    Crosskey, R.W. (1989) 24. Family SIMULIIDAE. In: Evenhuis, N.L. (Ed.), Catalog of the Diptera of the Australasian and Oceanian regions. Bishop Museum Special Publication 86. Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu and E.J. Brill, Leiden, pp. 221–225. Available from: http://hbs.bishopmuseum.org/aocat/pdf/24sim.pdf (accessed 22 September 2018)

    Crosskey, R.W. & Howard, T.M. (1997) A New Taxonomic and Geographical Inventory of World Blackflies. The Natural History Museum, London, 144 pp.

    Crosskey, R.W. & Howard, T.M. (2004) A revised taxonomic and geographical inventory of world blackflies (Diptera: Simuliidae). The Natural History Museum, London, 178 pp. Available from: http://blackflies.info/sites/blackflies.info/files/u13/Inventory.pdf (accessed 22 September 2017)

    Cumming, J.M., & Wood, D.M. (2017) Adult morphology and terminology. Chapter 3. In: Kirk-Spriggs, A.H. & Sinclair, B.J. (Eds.), Manual of Afrotropical Diptera. Vol. 1. Introductory chapters and keys to Diptera families. Suricata 4. South African Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria, pp. 89–133. Available from: https://afrotropicalmanual.org (accessed 22 September 2018)

    Davies, D.M. & Györkös, H. (1988) Two new Australian species of Simuliidae (Diptera). Journal of the Australian Entomological Society, 27, 105–115.
    https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-6055.1988.tb01156.x

    Edwards, F.W. (1931) Simuliidae. In: Diptera of Patagonia and South Chile. Part II. Fascicle 4. Nematocera. British Museum (Natural History), London, 34 pp. [pp. 121–154]

    Mackerras, I.M. & Mackerras, M.J. (1949) Revisional notes on Australasian Simuliidae (Diptera). Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, 73, 372–405. Available from: https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/35069387#page/454/ mode/1up (Accessed 22 September 2018)

    Mackerras, I.M. & Mackerras, M.J. (1952) Notes on Australasian Simuliidae (Diptera). III. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, 77, 104–113. Available from: https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/34944712#page/166/mode/1up (accessed 22 September 2018)

    Moulton, J.K. (2000) Molecular sequence data resolves basal divergences within Simuliidae (Diptera). Systematic Entomology, 25, 95–113.
    https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-3113.2000.00097.x

    Moulton, J.K. (2003) Can the current molecular arsenal adequately track rapid divergence events within Simuliidae (Diptera)? Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 27, 45–57.

    https://doi.org/10.1016/S1055-7903(02)00397-4

    Moulton, J.K., Currie, D.C. & Craig, D.A. (2018) A new genus, Ectemnoides, for seven species of Australian Gondwanan Simuliidae (Diptera) with description of a novel form of larval attachment. Insect Systematics and Diversity, 2 (4), 1–54.
    https://doi.org/10.1093/isd/ixy009

    Nicholson, A.J. (1940) Obituary: Mr. A. L. Tonnoir. Nature, 3673, 453–454. Available from: https://www.nature.com/articles/145453b0 (accessed 22 September 2018)

    Palmer, R.W. & Craig, D.A. (2000) An ecological classification of primary labral fans of filter-feeding black fly (Diptera: Simuliidae). Canadian Journal of Zoology, 78, 199–218.
    https://doi.org/10.1139/z99-205

    Pruess, K.P., Adams, B.J., Parsons, T.J., Zhu, X., Powers, T.O. (2000) Utility of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase II gene for resolving relationships among black flies (Diptera: Simuliidae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 16, 286–295.
    https://doi.org/10.1006/mpev.2000.0807

    Rothfels, K.H. (1979) Cytotaxonomy of black flies (Simuliidae). Annual Reviews of Entomology, 24, 507–539.
    https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.en.24.010179.002451

    Smart, J. (1945) The classification of the Simuliidae (Diptera). Transaction of the Royal Entomological Society of London, 95, 463–532.
    https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2311.1945.tb00437.x

    Takaoka, H. & Craig, D.A. (1999) Taxonomic and ecological notes on Simulium (Gomphostilbia) palauense (Diptera: Simuliidae) from Palau, Micronesia, with redescriptions of adults and descriptions of the pupa and mature larva. Japanese Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 27, 195–201.
    https://doi.org/10.2149/tmh1973.27.195

    Tonnoir, A.L. (1925) Australasian Simuliidae. Bulletin of Entomological Research, 15, 213–255.

    https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007485300046198

    Waterhouse, D.F. (2000) Nicholson, Alexander John (1895–1969). Australian Dictionary of Biography, 15. Available from: http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/nicholson-alexander-john-11236 (accessed 22 September 2018)

    Wygodzinsky, P. & Coscarón, S. (1973) A review of the Mesoamerican and South American black flies of the Tribe Prosimuliini (Simuliinae, Simuliidae). Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, 151, 129–200. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/2246/598 (accessed 22 September 2018)