Taxonomy, cladistics and biogeography of Coenosopsia Malloch (Diptera, Anthomyiidae) and its significance to the evolution of anthomyiids in the Neotropics

Abstract.  The anthomyiid fly genus Coenosopsia Malloch contained five species geographically restricted to the forests of the New World, from southern U.S.A. to southeastern Brazil and Paraguay. Two new species are described here from the Brazilian Cerrado: C. ferrari sp.n. and C. michelseni sp.n. Viviparity in C. brasiliensis Michelsen and C. peruviana Michelsen is reported and discussed. A cladistic analysis of the genus was performed using Fannia bahiensis Albuquerque (Fanniidae), Polietina orbitalis (Stein) (Muscidae), Anthomyia pluripunctata (Albuquerque), Delia platura (Meigen) and Phaonantho benevola Couri (Anthomyiidae) as outgroups. The analysis was carried out using three character weighting schemes: equal, successive and implied weighting. In the phylogenetic relationship (( C. ferrari , C. brasiliensis ) ( C. peruviana ( C. prima ( C. michelseni ( C. floridensis , C. mexicana ))))), two major clades were found, one distributed mainly in southeastern South America and the other from northwestern South America to southern North America. Reconciling the phylogeny with the available distributional data, a biogeographical analysis of the genus is proposed and discussed. The pattern found for Coenosopsia corroborated a previously proposed model of vicariance events for the Neotropical region. Although the presence of anthomyiid fauna in the region was explained previously on the basis of the North-to-South America dispersal, we suggest an alternative hypothesis, that of a Gondwanan origin for the Neotropical anthomyiids.