Basal Lineages of the Phoridae (Insecta: Diptera)

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The Phoridae is an extremely large group of small, poorly-known flies,some of which are pests of agriculture, and others of which havepotential for biological control of pest insects. There are about 3,500described species in this family, but actual totals for the world faunaare closer to 35,000, meaning that only about 10% of them have beendescribed by scientists. These flies are among the most biologicallydiverse insects, with some being scavengers, herbivores, predators, andparasites. Some have become associated with ants and termites, and havebizarrely modified females that lack wings and have a beetle-likeprotective structure. There has been sharp disagreement about theclassification of the most primitive groups of phorid flies, which hashampered the understanding of their relationships and diversity. Theprimitive phorids will be studied on a worldwide basis using bodystructure as well as DNA sequences by a team of a museum-basedmorphologist and a university-based molecular expert. Molecularcharacters will include about 4000 base pairs of both mitochondrial andnuclear genes. Field expeditions will be carried out in Europe, NorthAmerica, South America, New Zealand, and southeast Asia to collect freshspecimens for analysis; additional specimens from Africa will beprovided by collaborators. Additionally, we will revise the New Worldspecies of the largest genus of primitive phorids, Dohrniphora. Thisgenus is currently known from 85 described species, but we will describethe approximately 100 further new species that exist, addingconsiderably to our knowledge of tropical insect biodiversity.Phorid flies are a highly significant part of the world's biodiversitythat has been barely addressed by scientists. Study of the morphologyand genes of primitive phorids will allow us to understand how traitslike parasitism or herbivory have arisen within this group, and perhapsin other insects as well. It will provide a robust framework for theclassification of these flies that will foster better communicationabout their relationships. A firm understanding of the species ofDohrniphora will allow these small, easily collected insects to be usedin conservation assessment in tropical rain forests, and will allow usto learn more about diversification of tropical insect faunas. Projectswill include undergraduate students, who will gain valuable expertise inboth field and laboratory work.