Systematics of the species of stomatosematidi (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), with emphasis on the Neotropical Region

Abstract

Cecidomyiidae is one of the most diverse families of the order Diptera, with 6131 known species and is organized into six subfamilies: Catotrichinae, Lestremiinae, Mycromyinae, Winnertziinae, Porricondylinae and Cecidomyiinae. There are a variety of habits in the family, from mycophagous, gall makers or inquilines to predators of aphids. The mycophagous habit, present in basal Sciaroidea, remains in the Catotrichinae, Lestremiinae, Mycromyinae, Porricondylinae and in some supertribes of Cecidomyiinae as Stomatosematidi, Brachineuridi and few species of Lasiopteridi. Stomatosematidi has two genera, Didactylomyia and Stomatosema, with 22 living species previously described. In contrast to the high number of species there are few taxonomic studies on Cecidomyiidae in the Neotropics, especially about non galling species, despite these represent about 25% of the diversity of species of the family. In this project, we conducted the first phylogenetic analysis of the Stomatosematidi supertribe, studying the type-specimens of the species described and the first species found in the Neotropical region, which constitute a possible new genus. The neotropical specimens were collected in Mato Grosso do Sul state, between the years 2011 and 2012, covering the vegetation of Semideciduous Forest, Cerrado, Pantanal and Chaco. Were found and described seven new species colecteds by mean of the "Thematic Network for Diversity Studies, Systematic and distributional limits of Diptera in the Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul and Rondônia", of the Sisbiota-Diptera program (CNPq, Proc . No. 563256 / 2010-9 / FAPESP, Proc. No. 2010 / 52314-0). The inclusion of these neotropical species brought not previously described variation in the diagnoses of the known genera, which makes necessary to perform phylogenetic studies to test the monophyly of these genera. The type-specimens will have their morphology schematized and used to construct the array of characters and subsequent cladistic analysis. This work will contribute to fill the gap of knowledge of the relationships among the species of Cecidomyiidae family, greatly representative group of the order Diptera, as well as increased knowledge of the Neotropical Diptera. (AU)