New Zealand Journal of Zoology abstracts
The cocoon-spinning behaviour of Austrosimulium australense
(Diptera: Simuliidae) with a discussion of phylogenetic implications
Alison E. Stuart
Department of Zoology
University of Otago
P.O. Box 56,
Dunedin,
New Zealand
email: alison.stuart@stonebow.otago.ac.nz
Abstract
There are 25 extant black fly (Simuliidae) genera, six of which build “well-formed” cocoons, including Austrosimulium
, the only simuliid represented in New Zealand. The well-formed cocoon has been used in several analyses to suggest a close relationship among these six genera. A detailed account of cocoon-spinning behaviour would both provide a reliable indication of the homology of the well-formed cocoon structure, as well as indicate which behavioural features are important for the construction of a well-formed cocoon. Austrosimulium
cocoon-spinning information was added to an existing behavioural phylogeny of the Simuliidae, which included two other genera with well-formed cocoons. One most parsimonious tree is produced (length 21, CI 0.95, RI 0.95), with the three genera constructing well-formed cocoons (Austrosimulium
, Ectemnia
and Simulium
) resolved as a monophyletic group sharing six derived character states. Austrosimulium
is resolved as the sister group of Simulium
, the most derived and speciose genus of black fly, based on three synapomorphies.
Keywords
Austrosimulium australense; Simuliidae; black fly; cocoon spinning behaviour; behaviour; phylogeny; evolution
Z01018 Received 10 May 2001; accepted 31 August 2001
New Zealand Journal of Zoology, 2002, Vol. 29
: 5–14
0301–4223/02/2901–0005 $7.00/0 © The Royal Society of New Zealand 2002
PDF file of entire paper: Print-quality (1885K)
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