Phylogenetic relationships and biodiversity in Hylids (Anura: Hylidae) from French Guiana

We evaluated two biodiversity criteria, higher taxonomic diversity and phylogenetic diversity in French Guiana. For this, we used a recent assessment of the knowledge accumulated since 30 years of study on the amphibian species currently known in French Guiana. We focused on two well-represented genera, Hyla and Scinax, belonging to the subfamily Hylinae. We used partial sequences of two mitochondrial genes (16S rDNA and 12S rDNA, 813 bp) and two nuclear genes (tyrosinase and 18S rRNA, 1590 bp) covering a total of 2403 bp. According to the high bootstrap support in phylogenetic analysis of the complete dataset, the genus Scinax is a homophyletic clade formed by two species groups (rubra and rostrata) in French Guiana. The genus Hyla was confirmed to be a paraphyletic group formed by two species groups as well (30 chromosomes and the 'gladiator frogs'). We confirmed that these genera should be taxonomically reconsidered. Moreover, at the genus, subfamily and family levels, the use of only morphological characters or only molecular DNA markers would hamper estimations of biodiversity. Thus, we strongly advise the combined use of both morphology and molecular data (nuclear and mitochondrial markers).     

基于16S rRNA部分序列中国蝙蝠科蝙蝠系统发生分析

蝙蝠科蝙蝠遍布全世界,是蝙蝠中种类最多的一个科.尽管从形态学、胚胎学和分子生物学等方面认为蝙蝠科内长翼蝠亚科应该提升到科、鼠耳蝠属应该提升到亚科的分类地位,但是其科内的系统关系长期以来一直处于争议之中.本文对蝙蝠科11种38个标本线粒体16S rRNA部分序列进行了测序,并结合以前报道的13种(属于7科13属)蝙蝠的线粒体16S rRNA部分序列构建了系统树,结果表明:长翼蝠亚科可以提升到科的分类地位、鼠耳蝠属提升到亚科的分类地位,这与前人报道的结果一致;相对于由鼠耳蝠亚科、彩蝠亚科和管鼻蝠亚科构成的分支,蝙蝠亚科和Antrozoinae是一个并系群.蝙蝠亚科内的亲缘关系也进行了进一步的讨论.     

Phylogenetic position of the house dust mite subfamily Guatemalichinae (Acariformes: Pyroglyphidae) based on integrated molecular and morphological analyses and different measures of support

Based on multilocus phylogenetic analyses (18S, 28S, EF1‐α, SRP54, HSP70, CO1, 10 860 nt aligned), we show that the house dust mite subfamily Guatemalichinae is nested within non‐onychalgine pyroglyphid mites and forms the sister group to the genus Sturnophagoides (bootstrap support 100, posterior probability 1.0). Because high bootstrap support values may be misleading in the presence of incongruence, we evaluate robustness of the Guatemalichinae+Sturnophagoides clade using: (1) internode certainty indices to estimate the frequency of conflicting bipartitions in maximum‐likelihood bootstrap trees, (ii) consensus networks to investigate conflict among different loci; and (iii) statistical hypothesis testing based on information theory, both multi‐scale and regular bootstrap. Results suggest that this grouping is very well supported given the data. The molecular analyses were integrated with detailed morphological study using scanning electron and light microscopy. We suggest that the subfamilial status of Guatemalichinae should be reconsidered, and this lineage should be placed within the subfamily Dermatophagoidinae. The latter subfamily is currently accepted in the literature as a monophyletic group but was here inferred as paraphyletic and was not supported by any morphological synapomorphy. The paraphyly involved the most species‐rich and medically important genus, Dermatophagoides. Our findings suggest the need for a comprehensive revision of the higher‐level relationships of pyroglyphid house dust mites using both DNA sequences and morphology coupled with a broad taxonomic sampling.     

Apioceridae (Insecta: Diptera): cladistic reappraisal and biogeography

Twenty members of the fly families Apioceridae and Mydidae are compared in terms of 77 adult characters. Cladistic analysis of 91 synapomorphies provides a well corroborated reconstruction of lineage relationships, and reveals that the Apioceridae is paraphyletic with respect to the Mydidae. In order to render the Apioceridae monophyletic, the genus Rhaphiomidas and the subfamily Megascelinae of the Apioceridae are transferred to the Mydidae. The subfamily Rhaphiomidinae is reinstated to accommodate Rhaphiomidas , comprising the most plesiomorphic mydids. The relationships of the remaining subfamilies of Mydidae are discussed in the context of these findings. The genus Apiocera is divided into four subgenera, the type subgenus Apiocera Westwood in Australia, Pyrocera subgen. nov. in North America, and the subgenera Ripidosyrma Hermann and Anypenus Philippi are applied to the South African and South American species, respectively. A key to the four subgenera of Apiocera is provided. The biogeographic relationships of the subgenera and genera of the Apioceridae and the Megascelinae are discussed. Although considered an example of a transantarctic or Gondwanan group, we argue that the distribution of the Apioceridae predates the Mesozoic supercontinent Gondwanaland and extends onto sections of Pangaea, and should be termed 'Pangaean'. The cladistic relationships between the genera of Apioceridae and Megascelinae are consistent with the geological vicariance of the fragments of Pangaea on which they now occur.     

Phylogenetic relationships in the bovid subfamily Antilopinae based on mitochondrial DNA sequences.

A molecular phylogeny of the subfamily Antilopinae was determined using the two mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genes cytochrome b and cytochrome c oxidase III. The tribe Antilopini is monophyletic with Antidorcas marsupialis and Litocranius walleri basal to the large genus Gazella. Antilope cervicapra falls within Gazella. This placement would either make Gazella paraphyletic or require that the genus name Gazella be changed to Antilope. Gazella thomsonii is supported as a subspecies of G. rufifrons. Most members of the tribe Neotragini are sister species to the Antilopini, but the Neotragini is rendered paraphyletic by a deep placement of Neotragus moschatus.     

Evolution of green lacewings (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae): an anchored phylogenomics approach

A phylogeny of green lacewings (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) using anchored hybrid enrichment data is presented. Using this phylogenomic approach, we analysed 137 kb of sequence data (with < 10% missing) for 82 species in 50 genera of Chrysopidae under Bayesian and maximum likelihood criteria. We recovered a strongly supported tree topologically congruent with recently published phylogenies, especially relationships amongst higher‐level groups. The subfamily Nothochrysinae was recovered as paraphyletic, with one clade sister to the rest of Chrysopidae, and the second clade containing the nominal genus (Nothochrysa Navás) as sister to the subfamily Apochrysinae. Chrysopinae was recovered as a monophyletic with the monobasic Nothancylini tribe n. sister to the rest of the subfamily. Leucochrysini was recovered sister to Belonopterygini, and Chrysopini was rendered paraphyletic with respect to Ankylopterygini. Divergence times and diversification estimates indicate a major shift in rate in ancestral Chrysopini at the end of the Cretaceous, and the extensive radiation of Chrysopinae, the numerically dominant clade of green lacewings, began in the Mid‐Paleogene (c. 45 Ma).     

Phylogenetic position of the Dalmatian genus Phoxinellus and description of the newly proposed genus Delminichthys (Teleostei: Cyprinidae)

The Dalmatian cyprinid genus Phoxinellus is characterized by reductive characters most likely associated with the environmental conditions of small karstic streams, where all species of this genus occur. Based on 33 morphological traits, nuclear and mtDNA sequences Phoxinellus was found to be paraphyletic and included three not closely related monophyletic units. The scientific name Phoxinellus should therefore be restricted to species having plain coloration, small or absent postcleithrum, no genital papilla and an almost entirely naked body such as P. alepidotus, P. dalmaticus, and P. pseudalepidotus. Species that also have a small or absent postcleithrum and no genital papilla but display a dark stripe from the head to the caudal peduncle, and are entirely covered by distinct, not overlapping scales should be positioned closely to Telestes. Thus, we suggest inclusion of Phoxinellus croaticus, P. fontinalis and Paraphoxinus metohiensis in the genus Telestes. The Phoxinellus species that have a irregularly spotted color pattern, a large postcleithrum, an increased number of precaudal anal-fin pterygiophores, and a large genital papilla in females represent its own evolutionary line closely related to the Balkan species of Pseudophoxinus. For this monophyletic group, we propose to introduce a new genus: Delminichthys. This genus includes the species D. adspersus, D. ghetaldii, D. krbavensis and D. jadovensis.     

基于28S rDNA D2基因片段与形态特征的优茧蜂亚科系统发育研究

本研究选取优茧蜂亚科Euphorinae(膜翅目Hymenoptera:茧蜂科Braconidae)的8族19属23种作为内群,茧蜂其它6个亚科的8属8种作外群,首次结合同源核糖体28S rDNA D2基因序列片段和41个形态学特征对该亚科进行了系统发育学研究。利用"圆口类"的内茧蜂亚科Rogadinae、茧蜂亚科Braconinae、矛茧蜂亚科Doryctinae的3个亚科为根,以PAUP*4.0和MrBayes3.0B4软件分别应用最大简约法(MP)和贝叶斯法对优茧蜂亚科的分子数据和分子数据与非分子数据的结合体进行了分析;并以PAUP*4.0对优茧蜂亚科的28S rDNA D2基因序列的片段的碱基组成与碱基替代情况进行了分析。结果表明:优茧蜂亚科的28S rDNA D2基因序列片段的GC%含量在40.00%~49.25%之间变动,而对于碱基替代情况来讲,优茧蜂亚科各个成员间序列变异位点上颠换(transversion)大于转换(transition);不同的分析和算法所产生的系统发育树都表明目前根据形态定义出的优茧蜂亚科Euphorinae不是一个单系群,而是一个与蚁茧蜂亚科Neoneurinae和高腹茧蜂亚科Cenocoelinae混杂在一起的并系群;在优茧蜂亚科内部,悬茧蜂族Meterorini和食甲茧蜂族Microctonini(排除猎户茧蜂属Orionis)为单系群,而宽鞘茧蜂族Centistini、大颚茧蜂族Cosmophorini、优茧蜂族Euphorini、瓢虫茧蜂族Dinocampini为并系群;悬茧蜂族Meterorini在优茧蜂亚科Euphorinae内位于基部位置的观点得到部分的支持,同时食甲茧蜂族Microctonini被判定为相对进化的类群。此外对于优茧蜂亚科内各属之间的相互亲缘关系,不同算法所得到的系统发育属的结果不完全一致,这表明优茧蜂亚科内(属及族)的系统发育关系还有待于进一步研究。     

When insects help to resolve plant phylogeny: evidence for a paraphyletic genus Acacia from the systematics and host-plant range of their seed-predators

In this study we use an indirect method to address the issue of the systematics of the large and economically important genus Acacia (Leguminosae, Mimosoideae, Acacieae). We propose the use of host-preference data in closely related insect species as a potentially useful tool to investigate host systematic issues, especially when other approaches yield inconsistent results. We have examined the evolution of host-plant use of a highly specialized group of seed-feeders who predate Acacia — the seed-beetles (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Bruchinae). First, the evolution of host-plant preferences in a large clade of Bruchidius species was investigated using molecular phylogenetics and character optimization methods. Second, the scope of our study was enlarged by critically reviewing the host-plant records of all bruchine genera associated with Acacia . Both morphological and molecular data were used to define relevant insect clades, for which comparisons of host-plant range were performed. Interestingly, the analyses of host-plant preferences from 163 seed-beetle species recovered similar patterns of host-plant associations in the distinct clades which develop within Acacia seeds. Our results clearly support the hypothesis of Acacia being a paraphyletic genus and provide useful insights with reference to the systematics of the whole subfamily as well. This study should also be of interest to those involved in the numerous biological control programs which either already use or aim to use seed-beetles as auxiliary species to limit the propagation of several invasive legume tree species.     

The systematic position of Lauroiinae Skrjabin and Schikhobalova, 1951 (Nemata: Heterakoidea: Aspidoderidae), as revealed by the analysis of traits used in its diagnosis

During our work on biodiversity of parasites of mammals of the Neotropics we collected numerous nematodes assignable to species of the family Aspidoderidae (Nemata: Heterakoidea). These nematodes occur as parasites of the cecum and large intestine of marsupials, rodents and xenarthrans (armadillos) only in the New World. As aspidoderid nematodes have been little studied beyond their alpha taxonomy, it is the purpose of the present paper to apply phylogenetic systematic methods to more completely understand the evolutionary relationships of the included species. Members of the aspidoderid subfamily Lauroiinae have had very little work applied to their systematic relationships and no systematic revisions exist that include all recognized species. Diagnostic characters that define species in this subfamily include plate-like cuticular structures on the anterior end. Herein we define a suite of 52 characters derived from studies of specimens using both light and electron microscopy. Our phylogenetic systematic analysis included the eight known species in the Lauroiinae, seven of the Aspidoderinae and four outgroup taxa. The results indicate that the Lauroiinae is paraphyletic, that the cephalic plates on the anterior end are not synapomorphies for the Lauroiinae, and that structures forming the cordon are present in all species of the family. We propose elimination of the subfamily designations in the family Aspidoderidae and we show the utility of using additional characters in the diagnosis of the family and the genera within this family. The resulting hypothesis should serve as the foundation to understand the historical associations of the nematodes with the mammals they infect.
© The Willi Hennig Society 2008.     

缘蝽科的比较形态学研究Ⅲ（异翅亚目：缘蝽总科）

缘蝽科的比较形态学研究　Ⅲ（异翅亚目：缘蝽总科）李新正（中国科学院海洋研究所青岛２６６０７１）１５棒缘蝽亚科（Ｐｓｅｕｄｏｐｈｌｏｅｉｎａｅ）（图６８—８３）棒缘蝽类包括２８个属,除ＶｉｌｇａＳｔａｌ为新世界分布,ＣｅｒａｌｅｐｔｕｓＣｏｓｔａ和颗缘...     

Phylogeny of the Archiborborinae (Diptera: Sphaeroceridae) Based on Combined Morphological and Molecular Analysis

The Archiborborinae is a diverse Neotropical subfamily of Sphaeroceridae, with many undescribed species. The existing generic classification includes three genera consisting of brachypterous species, with all other species placed in the genus Archiborborus. We present the first phylogenetic hypothesis for the subfamily based on morphological, molecular, and combined datasets. Morphological data include 53 characters and cover all valid described taxa (33 species in 4 genera) in the subfamily, as well as 83 undescribed species. Molecular data for five genes (mitochondrial 12S rDNA, cytochrome c oxidase subunit I, and cytochrome B, and nuclear alanyl-tRNA synthetase and 28S rDNA) were obtained for 21 ingroup taxa. Data support the separation of the Archiborborinae from the Copromyzinae, with which they were formerly combined. Analyses support consistent groups within the subfamily, but relationships between groups are poorly resolved. The validity of the brachypterous genera Penola Richards and Frutillaria Richards is supported. The former genus Archiborborus Duda is paraphyletic, and will be divided into monophyletic genera on the basis of this work. Aptery and brachyptery have evolved multiple times in the subfamily. Antrops Enderlein, previously including a single brachypterous species, is a senior synonym of Archiborborus.     

Phylogenetic relationships of Lecythidaceae: a cladistic analysis using rbcL sequence and morphological data

This study examined in detail the rbcL sequence and morphological support for subfamilial relationships and monophyly of Lecythidaceae. Initially we needed to establish relationships of Lecythidaceae among other dicot families. To complete this we examined 47 rbcL sequences of 25 families along with molecular observations from several large analyses of rbcL data. All analyses strongly support the monophyly of the asterid III grouping. This analysis revealed Lecythidaceae to be paraphyletic and indicated potential outgroup relationships with Sapotaceae. Once relationships had been evaluated using molecular data we then concentrated on analyzing separate and combined morphological and molecular databases. The topology of the morphological data set was similar to the rbcL sequence and combined data sets except for the positioning of Napoleonaeoideae, Grias, Gustavia, and Oubanguia. According to the combined results, Planchonioideae, Lecythidoideae. and Foetidioideae are monophyletic, whereas the subfamily Napoleonaeoideae are paraphyletic. Nested within Napolconaeoideae, we found Asteronthos forms a strongly supported clade with Oubanguia (Scytopetalaceae). Foetidia, the only genus of Foetidioideae, is sister to Planchonioideae, and this clade is sister to Lecythidoideae. The [(Planchonioideae, Foetidioideae) Lecythidoideae are sister to Asteranthos/Oubanguia. Napoleonaeoideae are sister to the rest of Lecythidaceae.     

The Gomphaeschninae (Odonata: Aeshnidae): new fossil genus, reconstructed phylogeny, and geographical history

ABSTRACT. Three new species of fossil Anisoptera (dragonflies) are reported from Tiffanian (Late Palaeocene) sediments of the Paskapoo Formation, near Red Deer, Alberta, Canada. The three species are all assigned to the new genus Alloaeschna , which is classified in the subfamily Gomphaeschninae.
Phylogenetic analysis of gomphaeschnine wing venation suggests that the subfamily is paraphyletic, with derived gomphaeschnines such as Boyeria and Linaeschna more closely related to the Brachytroninae and Aeshninae than are other gomphaeschnines. One of the most primitive gomphaeschnines, and the oldest fossil form, is the Jurassic Morbaeschna. Parallelism, convergence and reversal in the evolution of features of the wing venation is common.
The new genus Alloaeschna is at about the same evolutionary grade as the old-world genus Oligoaeschna and the new-world genus Gomphaeschna , and is one of the more primitive known members of the Gomphaeschninae. The new species are the first recorded Palaeocene gomphaeschnines and the oldest known gomphaeschnines from the Americas.
Several extant genera have fossil representatives on continents different from those on which they now survive, suggesting repeated crossing of land bridges and/or widespread ancestral species prior to the separation of the continents, and subsequent extinction leading to present relict distributions.     

The phylogeny of Paralabrax (Perciformes: Serranidae) and allied taxa inferred from partial 16S and 12S mitochondrial ribosomal DNA sequences

Partial sequences of 16S and 12S mitochondrial ribosomal DNA were used to examine the phylogenetic relationships of the primarily eastern Pacific genus Paralabrax (Perciformes: Serranidae) and allied taxa. Paralabrax is considered a basal serranine, which is itself considered the basal subfamily in the Serranidae. Multiple serranines reported closely related to Paralabrax from the genera Serranus, Hypoplectrus, Cratinus, and Centropristis were used as outgroups. Species from the remaining two subfamilies, Epinephilinae and Anthiinae, of the Serranidae were also used in the analyses. The tree of the Serranidae was rooted with the families Polyprionidae and Priacanthidae. Paralabrax, the Serranidae, and the Serraninae were monophyletic in this study. Serranus was found to be paraphyletic. Centropristis, formerly considered the sister taxon to Paralabrax, was not closely related in these analyses. Cratinus agassizii, a monotypic genus from the eastern Pacific, was found to be the sister taxon to Paralabrax. There is greater resolution for intergeneric and subfamily relations than interspecific relationships. A single most parsimonious tree for the interspecific relationships of Paralabrax and allied taxa is proposed. This proposed molecular phylogeny is consistent with known biogeographic processes in the eastern Pacific.     

缘蝽科族级单元系统发育关系支序分析(半翅目:异翅亚目:缘蝽总科)

在已有比较形态学研究基础上,本文选择了15个特征方面（外生殖器为主）的74个新征,以支序分析方法探讨了缘蝽科族（或亚科）的系统发育关系。结果表明棒缘蝽亚科、希缘蝽族、沟缘蝽族较为原始,与其余类群差异较大,缘蝽科的范围值得进一步研究;除Chariesterini外的缘蝽亚科是高等的缘蝽类群;Chariesterini似应从缘蝽亚科中独立出来;狭义巨缘蝽族以及萧的鼻缘蝽族、梭缘蝽族、昧缘蝽族、曼缘蝽族成立;拟黛缘蝽属、副黛缘蝽属、华黛缘蝽属、异黛缘蝽属应从”黛缘蝽族”中分别独立出来成立新族,即拟黛缘蝽族、副黛缘蝽族、华黛缘蝽族和异黛缘蝽族,以使原有的黛缘蝽族成为自然类群。     

Biogeographic origin and radiation of the Old World crocidurine shrews (Mammalia: Soricidae) inferred from mitochondrial and nuclear genes

The crocidurine shrews include the most speciose genus of mammals, Crocidura. The origin and evolution of their radiation is, however, poorly understood because of very scant fossil records and a rather conservative external morphology between species. Here, we use an alignment of 3560 base pairs of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA to generate a phylogenetic hypothesis for the evolution of Old World shrews of the subfamily Crocidurinae. These molecular data confirm the monophyly of the speciose African and Eurasian Crocidura, which also includes the fossorial, monotypic genus Diplomesodon. The phylogenetic reconstructions give further credit to a paraphyletic position of Suncus shrews, which are placed into at least two independent clades (one in Africa and sister to Sylvisorex and one in Eurasia), at the base of the Crocidura radiation. Therefore, we recommend restricting the genus Suncus to the Palaearctic and Oriental taxa, and to consider all the African Suncus as Sylvisorex. Using molecular dating and biogeographic reconstruction analyses, we suggest a Palaearctic-Oriental origin for Crocidura dating back to the Upper Miocene (6.8 million years ago) and several subsequent colonisations of the Afrotropical region by independent lineages of Crocidura.     

A multi-locus species phylogeny of African forest duikers in the subfamily Cephalophinae: evidence for a recent radiation in the Pleistocene

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Duikers in the subfamily Cephalophinae are a group of tropical forest mammals believed to have first originated during the late Miocene. However, knowledge of phylogenetic relationships, pattern and timing of their subsequent radiation is poorly understood. Here we present the first multi-locus phylogeny of this threatened group of tropical artiodactyls and use a Bayesian uncorrelated molecular clock to estimate divergence times. RESULTS: A total of 4152 bp of sequence data was obtained from two mitochondrial genes and four nuclear introns. Phylogenies were estimated using maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian analysis of concatenated mitochondrial, nuclear and combined datasets. A relaxed molecular clock with two fossil calibration points was used to estimate divergence times. The first was based on the age of the split between the two oldest subfamilies within the Bovidae whereas the second was based on the earliest known fossil appearance of the Cephalophinae and molecular divergence time estimates for the oldest lineages within this group. Findings indicate strong support for four major lineages within the subfamily, all of which date to the late Miocene/early Pliocene. The first of these to diverge was the dwarf duiker genus Philantomba, followed by the giant, eastern and western red duiker lineages, all within the genus Cephalophus. While these results uphold the recognition of Philantomba, they do not support the monotypic savanna-specialist genus Sylvicapra, which as sister to the giant duikers leaves Cephalophus paraphyletic. BEAST analyses indicate that most sister species pairs originated during the Pleistocene, suggesting that repeated glacial cycling may have played an important role in the recent diversification of this group. Furthermore, several red duiker sister species pairs appear to be either paraphyletic (C.callipygus/C. ogilbyi and C. harveyi/C. natalensis) or exhibit evidence of mitochondrial admixture (C. nigrifrons and C. rufilatus), consistent with their recent divergence and/or possible hybridization with each other. CONCLUSIONS: Molecular phylogenetic analyses suggest that Pleistocene-era climatic oscillations have played an important role in the speciation of this largely forest-dwelling group. Our results also reveal the most well supported species phylogeny for the subfamily to date, but also highlight several areas of inconsistency between our current understanding of duiker taxonomy and the evolutionary relationships depicted here. These findings may therefore prove particularly relevant to future conservation efforts, given that many species are presently regulated under the Convention for Trade in Endangered Species.     

Systematics of the genera of Bodotriidae (Crustacea: Cumacea)

The cumacean family Bodotriidae includes 382 species in 31 genera grouped in three subfamilies: Bodotriinae, Mancocumatinae and Vaunthompsoniinae. Generic diagnoses are based on few characters that often have overlapping states among genera, complicating the understanding of the relationships within the group. The goals of this study are to illuminate the phylogenetic relationships among the genera of the Bodotriidae using morphological characters and to review the systematics of the family. For this purpose, all species within each genus were studied from the literature to code all the variability of genera for 109 variable morphological characters. Phylogenetic analyses show that there is independent reduction of the pleopods in two clades from a plesiomorphic state of five pairs, while the number of exopods of peraeopods has been reduced gradually in more derived groups of bodotriids. The subfamily Bodotriinae is the most derived and the Vaunthompsoniinae the most basal, and is paraphyletic with the Mancocumatinae embedded within it. No discriminatory characters were found between the subfamilies Mancocumatinae and Vaunthompsoniinae and they are not clearly separated in the phylogeny. Mancocumatinae is synonymized with Vaunthompsoniinae and all the genera of the former Mancocumatinae should be included within Vaunthompsoniinae. Analyses of character evolution justify a few other taxonomic changes. All genera were redescribed based on all the coded characters and a complete list of all valid species for each genus is included. Finally, dichotomous keys for identification to genus level are provided.  © 2007 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2007, 151 , 1–58.     

Phylogeny of the bee family Megachilidae (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) based on adult morphology

Phylogenetic relationships within the bee family Megachilidae are poorly understood. The monophyly of the subfamily Fideliinae is questionable, the relationships among the tribes and subtribes in the subfamily Megachilinae are unknown, and some extant genera cannot be placed with certainty at the tribal level. Using a cladistic analysis of adult external morphological characters, we explore the relationships of the eight tribes and two subtribes currently recognised in Megachilidae. Our dataset included 80% of the extant generic‐level diversity, representatives of all fossil taxa, and was analysed using parsimony. We employed 200 characters and selected 7 outgroups and 72 ingroup species of 60 genera, plus 7 species of 4 extinct genera from Baltic amber. Our analysis shows that Fideliinae and the tribes Anthidiini and Osmiini of Megachilinae are paraphyletic; it supports the monophyly of Megachilinae, including the extinct taxa, and the sister group relationship of Lithurgini to the remaining megachilines. The Sub‐Saharan genus Aspidosmia, a rare group with a mixture of osmiine and anthidiine features, is herein removed from Anthidiini and placed in its own tribe, Aspidosmiini, new tribe . Protolithurgini is the sister of Lithurgini, both placed herein in the subfamily Lithurginae; the other extinct taxa, Glyptapina and Ctenoplectrellina, are more basally related among Megachilinae than Osmiini, near Aspidosmia, and are herein treated at the tribal level. Noteriades, a genus presently in the Osmiini, is herein transferred to the Megachilini. Thus, we recognise four subfamilies (Fideliinae, Pararhophitinae, Lithurginae and Megachilinae) and nine tribes in Megachilidae. We briefly discuss the evolutionary history and biogeography of the family, present alternative classifications, and provide a revised key to the extant tribes of Megachilinae.