Phylogenetic review of the Chinese species of Acanthacorydalis (Megaloptera, Corydalidae)

The dobsonfly genus Acanthacorydalis Weele is a small genus which only occurs in Asia and comprises eight species. Seven species are restricted to the Oriental realm, while A. orientalis (McLachlan) extends into the Palaearctic realm. There are five species in China, four of which are endemic. In the present paper, the Chinese species are redescribed, illustrated, keyed, and subjected to phylogenetic and biogeographical analyses for the first time. Geographic distributions are updated. The cladistic analysis for the Chinese species was constructed by using Hennig86, based on 17 adult morphological characters. The phylogenetic relationships obtained are ( A. orientalis + A. yunnanensis + A. unimaculata + ( A. fruhstorferi + A. sinensis )). Six areas of endemism are identified based on Acanthacorydalis distributions: north, south-west, central and south China, north-eastern India and northern Vietnam.