Studies on Biodiversity Promotion Mechanism of Drosophilids in the East Asian Region

果蝇是进化遗传学领域研究最广泛的昆虫。东亚地区是北半球温带地区生物多样性水平最高的地区，因此对研究果蝇物种形成的演化史和机制具有至关重要的作用。直到1970年S，亚洲大陆地区的果蝇动物群还鲜为人知。然而，自20世纪80年代初以来，在日本、中国和俄罗斯科学家的国际合作下，对中国、远东俄罗斯和东西伯利亚大陆地区的果蝇动物群进行了广泛的调查，取得了相当多的知识。这些调查结果不仅值得对该科的系统发育和分类学进行修订，而且还揭示了许多新物种，包括那些在物种形成机制研究中有用的新物种。本项目旨在发展一项关于南亚地区果蝇进化生物学的新的合作研究。预计专家将参与该项目，研究他们自己或合作研究的进化兴趣主题，如分类学、系统发育和物种形成机制。在项目实施期间(2000年-2002年)，对中国东南部的多个自然保护区进行了实地考察。结果，中国区系名录增加了40多个已知种，收集了800多个可疑或新种的标本。新种的描述工作主要集中在隐翅虫亚科。到目前为止，共描述了该亚科的56种，它们为了解东南亚果蝇的进化和创造多样性的机制提供了宝贵的信息。

Drosophilids are the insects most extensively studied in the field of evolutionary genetics. The East Asian region is endowed with the highest level of bio-diversity in the temperate zone of the northern hemisphere, and therefore, of crucial importance in investigating the evolutionary history and mechanism of speciation in drosophilids.Until 1970's, drosophilid fauna in the continental Asian region was poorly known. However, since early 1980's, extensive surveys have been made under international cooperation among scientists from Japan, China, and Russia, and have brought about a considerable amount of knowledge on the drosophilid faunas in the continental regions of China, Far East Russia, and East Siberia. The results obtained from these surveys not only deserve the revision of phylogeny and taxonomy of this family but also have revealed many new species including those that are useful in investigating mechanisms of speciation.This project aims to develop a new cooperative study on the evolutionary biology of drosophilids in the South Asian region. Specialists are expected to participate in the project to study their own or cooperative research themes of evolutionary interests such as taxonomy, phylogeny, and mechanisms of speciation. During the term of project (2000-2002), field surveys at many nature reserves in southeastern China were performed. As a result, more than 40 known species were added to the Chinese faunal list and specimens of more than 800 questionable or new species were collected. Efforts of the description of new species were made focusing mainly the subfamily Steganinae. By now, a total of 56 species of the subfamily were described and they provided invaluable information for understanding the evolution of Drosophilids in southeastern Asia and the mechanisms by which the diversity has been created.