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Clitellariinae

Keith Bayless
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Containing group: Stratiomyidae

Introduction

Clitellariinae is a heterogenous group of genera that has no clear synapomorphies. The larvae of several genera of Clitellariinae, such as Dicyphoma, are larvae are scavengers in decaying plant tissue (James, 1965).

Characteristics

Woodley (2001) acknowledges that the Clitellariinae are poorly defined morphologically. As currently conscribed, they are distinguished by the presence of vein M3, presence of pilosity on post-tegula, absence of tibial spurs, and a convex posterior surface of the head. These states are all plesiomorphic and many suffer from homoplasy (Woodley 2001).

Discussion of Phylogenetic Relationships

The morphologically diverse subfamily Clitellariinae is not shown to be monophyletic in Brammer and von Dohlen (2007). There are no strong morphological synapomorphies for the group as currently defined (Woodley 2001). Few statements can be made about relationships between the clitellariine genera as many remain unassigned to the putative tribes Clitellariini and Cyphomyiini. Brammer and von Dohlen's (2007) phylogenetic analysis of Stratiomyidae using molecular data found 5 independent lineages of Clitellariinae, as follows:

References

Brammer, C. A. 2005. Quichuamyia, a new Neotropical genus of Stratiomyidae (Insecta: Diptera). Zootaxa 990:1-14.

Brammer, C.A. and C.D. von Dohlen. 2007. The evolutionary history of Stratiomyidae (Insecta: Diptera): the molecular phylogeny of a diverse family of flies. Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 43:660-73.

James, M.T. 1965. Family Stratiomyidae. Pp.299-319, in Stone, A., C. Sabrosky, W. Wirth, R. Foote, J. Coulson. A catalog of the Diptera of America north of Mexico. Agricultural Research Service, USDA, IIV, 1-1696.

Woodley, N. E. 2001. A World Catalog of the Stratiomyidae (Insecta: Diptera). Myia 11: 1-473. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden.

Title Illustrations
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Scientific Name Adoxomyia subulata
Location Fayetteville, Washington County, Arkansas, USA
Specimen Condition Live Specimen
Identified By Norman Woodley
Life Cycle Stage Adult
Source Collection BugGuide.Net
Image Use creative commons This media file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License - Version 1.0.
Copyright © Edward Trammel
Scientific Name Lagenosoma dispar
Location Birkdale, Queensland, Australia
Specimen Condition Live Specimen
Source Lagenosoma dispar
Source Collection Flickr
Image Use creative commons This media file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License - Version 2.0.
Copyright © 2008 shaunwinterton
About This Page

Keith Bayless
North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA

Correspondence regarding this page should be directed to Keith Bayless at

All Rights Reserved.

Citing this page:

Bayless, Keith. 2008. Clitellariinae. Version 28 September 2008 (under construction). http://tolweb.org/Clitellariinae/23959/2008.09.28 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/

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