Molecular phylogeny of the fungus gnat subfamilies Gnoristinae and Mycomyinae, and their position within Mycetophilidae (Diptera)

Abstract

The phylogeny of the fungus gnat family Mycetophilidae (Diptera) is reconstructed with a focus on the species-rich and taxonomically difficult subfamilies Gnoristinae and Mycomyinae. The multigene phylogenetic analyses are based on five nuclear (18S, 28S, CAD, MCS, ITS2) and four mitochondrial (12S, 16S, COI, CytB) gene markers. The analyses strongly support the monophyly of Mycetophilidae and the subfamilies Manotinae, Sciophilinae, Leiinae, and Mycomyinae, although Gnoristinae is paraphyletic with respect to Mycetophilinae. All the genera and groups of genera included are supported as monophyletic, except for Acomoptera Vockeroth, Boletina Staeger, Dziedzickia Johannsen, Ectrepesthoneura Enderlein, and Neoempheria Osten Sacken. Ancestral character state reconstructions were applied to two morphological features present in Gnoristinae and Mycomyinae (i.e. presence of setae on wing membrane and wing vein R 4 ) in order to assess their evolution. The wing vein R 4 appears as an unstable character, spread throughout different clades. A dated phylogeny of the family Mycetophilidae showed that most of the subfamilies of Mycetophilidae originated and diversified during the Cretaceous. The youngest subfamilies, originated in the Paleogene, appear to be Mycomyinae and Mycetophilinae.

Molecular phylogeny of the Paleogene fungus gnat tribe Exechiini (Diptera: Mycetophilidae) revisited: Monophyly of genera established and rapid radiation confirmed

“…Although we tried to use as many gene markers as possible and expanded the heavily European‐biased taxon sampling with several tropical genera and representatives, the results presented here are far from being satisfactory, pending even wider taxon sampling from all continents. This contrasts parallel phylogenies of the older subfamilies and tribes of the family Mycetophilidae, where traditional clades usually recover with high support (Kaspřák et al, ; Ševčík et al, ).…”

“…The fossil record from Paleogene, mostly Baltic amber is rich, but only some 40 species in 7 + genera (some doubtfully assigned, others with questionable affiliation to the tribe Exechiini) have so far been described (Table ). Kaspřák, Kerr, Sýkora, Tóthová, and Ševčík () found Mycomyinae and Mycetophilinae (incl. Exechiini) to be the most recent subfamilies of the family Mycetophilidae.…”

Hidden in Plain Sight: Comprehensive Molecular Phylogeny of Keroplatidae and Lygistorrhinidae (Diptera) Reveals Parallel Evolution and Leads to a Revised Family Classification

“…This study is an integral part of a long-term project aimed at molecular phylogenetic reconstruction of the infraorder Bibionomorpha and its particular families (see [ 1 , 36 , 37 ]). We present here the first comprehensive molecular phylogeny of the entire family Keroplatidae, based on a broad taxon and gene sampling.…”

Coelosynapha, a new genus of the subfamily Gnoristinae (Diptera: Mycetophilidae) with a circumpolar, Holarctic distribution

“…Phylogenies (e.g. Kaspřák et al 2018) are still rendering it paraphyletic with respect to Mycetophilinae and, according to Kaspřák et al (2018), the Gnoristinae is one of the most diverse and taxonomically difficult subfamilies of Mycetophilidae, with new species and genera being described almost every year. Highly variable taxa have led to numerous small genera with few species being segregated, as well as species-rich, polyphyletic "trash bin" genera like Dziedzickia Johannsen, 1909.…”