Dissertation Research: Phylogenetic Reconstruction of the Simuliidae (Diptera: Culicomorpha) using Mitochondrial DNA

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9520613 Maddison The Simuliidae black flies are a large group of dipterans occurring worldwide, but most notorious in the African and American tropics where various species carry filarial parasites causing river blindness and other diseases. The taxonomic and phylogenetic relationships of the numerous species and genera are poorly understood, and the conflicting classifications proposed over the years hinder effective control strategies. Graduate student John Moulton, under the supervision of faculty adviser Prof. David Maddison at the University of Arizona, is analyzing mutational differences in mitochondrial DNA of numerous taxa of simuliid black flies collected from various parts of the world. The molecular differences will be used to construct a scheme of evolutionary connections among the genera and tribes of Simuliidae, and then these relationships can be compared with and tested against the known morphological features of the groups. Black flies present interesting scientific questions about biogeography and character evolution, questions that have resisted successful attack because of the conflicting taxonomies so far employed for their classification and identification. Recent morphological work by the Canadian entomologist Currie now provides a reliable framework for comparing and contrasting new molecular data from DNA sequence analyses. The integration of these two approaches should lead to a robust phylogenetic understanding of the evolution and dispersal of black flies, including those harboring disease vectors.