Systematics of the higher flies (Diptera)

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Despite their ubiquity, abundance and ecological/economic importance, flies are among the least-known macroscopic organisms. The proposed research will sort out the identity and relationships of several poorly-known groups of flies, incorporating the research results into thorough taxonomic revisions. Study collections are being assembled using specialized collecting techniques, observation and image recording supplemented by loans of specimens from major museums throughout the world. As monophyletic groups (genera) are identified, they will be thoroughly revised by building taxonomic frameworks on the basis of large sets of morphological characters, with an emphasis on the complex internal morphology of the male and female terminalia. Hundreds of new species, several new genera, and even a new family have already been discovered and placed onto appropriate taxonomic frameworks in the course of this research program. Such frameworks allow for the identification of component taxa, the development of keys, and the construction of phylogenetic hypotheses. The addition of behavioral and molecular characters to a morphology-based framework can resolve problem areas and increase the robustness of phylogenetic hypotheses. This work combines traditional microscopy with new digital technology and careful field work to produce comprehensive, richly illustrated treatments of the fly families under study. Results will be made widely available on the web as well as in primary publications.