Taxonomic revision of Australian Amobia Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830 (Sarcophagidae: Miltogramminae): integrating morphology and genetics finds a new species and tackles old problems

  • Nikolas P. Johnston Centre for Sustainable Ecosystem Solutions, School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, NSW, Australia
  • James F. Wallman Centre for Sustainable Ecosystem Solutions, School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, NSW, Australia
  • Mark Dowton Molecular Horizons, School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, NSW, Australia
  • Krzysztof Szpila Department of Ecology and Biogeography, Faculty of Biological and Veterinary Sciences, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Toruń, Poland
  • Thomas Pape Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2020.722.1135
Keywords: phylogenetics, DNA barcoding, flesh flies, Miltogramminae

Abstract

A taxonomic revision of the Australian species of Amobia Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830 (Diptera: Sarcophagidae: Miltogramminae) is completed using an integrated approach combining four molecular loci (three mitochondrial, COI, ND4 and CYTB; one nuclear, EF1α) and morphological data. A new species, Amobia (s. str.) serpenta sp. nov., endemic to Australia, is described, and Amobia auriceps (Baranov, 1935) and Amobia burnsi (Malloch, 1930) are re-described. Molecular data are used to reconstruct inter-specific and generic relationships and support morphological species hypotheses. Phylogenetic analysis places all three Australian Amobia species together with Amobia signata (Meigen, 1824) (a Palaearctic species) in a single clade sister to Senotainia Macquart, 1846 (in part), which is in agreement with previous phylogenetic studies of the Miltogramminae. In addition to the description of species and molecular phylogenetics, general host associations for the Australian species of Amobia are discussed and evidence for the synonymisation of A. pelopei (Rondani, 1859) and A. auriceps is refuted.

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Published
2020-10-28
How to Cite
Johnston, N. P., Wallman, J. F., Dowton, M., Szpila, K., & Pape, T. (2020). Taxonomic revision of Australian Amobia Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830 (Sarcophagidae: Miltogramminae): integrating morphology and genetics finds a new species and tackles old problems. European Journal of Taxonomy, 722(1), 75-96. https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2020.722.1135
Issue
Vol. 722 (2020)
Section
Research article

Copyright (c) 2020 Nikolas P. Johnston, James F. Wallman, Mark Dowton, Krzysztof Szpila, Thomas Pape

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