A phylogeny of robber flies (Diptera: Asilidae) at the subfamilial level: molecular evidence

Phylogeny of Asilidae Inferred from Morphological Characters of Imagines (Insecta: Diptera: Brachycera: Asiloidea)

“…52), postmetacoxal area entirely sclerotized (102). The Ommatiinae has been considered to be a monophyletic taxon that is usually associated with the Asilinae or Apocleinae sensu previous au-thors (e.g., Karl, 1959;Hull, 1962;Lehr, 1969Lehr, , 1996Papavero, 1973a;Bybee et al, 2004). In the present analysis, the included genera Afroestricus, Cophinopoda, Emphysomera, Michotamia, and Ommatius form a polytomy in the strict consensus hypothesis ( fig.…”

“…The only phylogenetic analysis of Asilidae representing most of the higher-level taxa sensu previous authors is the molecular study published by Bybee et al (2004; fig. 130).…”

“…Table 1 summarizes classificatory/phylogenetic studies dealing with the entire Asilidae that have been published since 1900. Only a molecular study of 26 Asilidae species (Bybee et al, 2004;fig. 130) can be regarded as a first higher-level phylogenetic analysis of Asilidae involving all previously recognized subfamily taxa (except for Dioctriinae).…”

“…The sister group to Asilidae is still debated in the Diptera literature and six alternative hypotheses are: (1) Asilidae and Apioceridae are sister taxa (Hull, 1962;Yeates, 1994); (2) either Apioceridae or Mydidae is the sister group to Asilidae (Hennig, 1973); (3) Asilidae and Mydidae form a sister taxon (Wood, 1981); (4) Asilidae is the sister taxon to either Apioceridae and Mydidae or Scenopinidae and Therevidae (Woodley, 1989); (5) Apioceridae and Mydidae form the sister group to Asilidae (Yeates and Irwin, 1996); and (6) Asilidae is the sister taxon to the remaining Asiloidea except Bombyliidae (Yeates, 2002;Bybee et al, 2004). Hermann (1909), in describing the first southern African Apioceridae in the genus Ripidosyrma Hermann, 1909, discussed the relationships of Apioceridae, Asilidae, and Mydidae and concluded that the Asilidae is most closely related to Apiocera Westwood, 1835, i.e., Australian Apioceridae, based on certain characters of the wing venation.…”

A Revised Checklist of the Robber Fly Genera (Diptera, Asilidae) From Iraq

“…Papavero (1973) proposed eight subfamilies: "Apocleinae, Asilinae, Dasypogoninae, Laphriinae, Laphystiinae, Ommatiinae, Stenopogoninae, and Trigonomiminae". According to the taxonomist, up to an additional four subfamilies were added by the early 2000s: "Atomosinae, Dioctriinae, Megapodinae and Stichopogoninae" (Artigas and Papavero, 1988;Bybee et al, 2004;Dikow and Geller-Grimm, 2004;Geller-Grimm, 2003a and2004;Lehr, 1969.…”