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Sydella Blatch F. Christian Thompson, Ph.D. "Not only do we see that we have much to learn about living organisms, we find that we have much to learn from living organisms." |
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Sydella Blatch F. Christian Thompson, Ph.D. "Not only do we see that we have much to learn about living organisms, we find that we have much to learn from living organisms." |
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Systematic Analysis of MesoAmerican Meromacrus flower flies (Diptera: Syrphidae) with a Description of a New Species Flower flies are a group of flies that usually mimic bees and wasps. Widely distributed, flower flies are important pollinators and their larvae may be important pest predators. This study focused on flower flies of MesoAmerica, whose biodiversity is often threatened by human interference. Flower flies are important 1) as biological control agents, since some of the larvae prey on destructive insects such as aphids, scales and mites, 2) as environmental indicators because of the specificity of their habitats, and 3) as natural destroyers of waste. Therefore the preservation of the habitats of flower flies and other organisms is of growing importance for economic benefits. In this study, a new species of flower fly was described and analyzed phenetically in order to determine its placement in the current classification of flower flies of the genus Meromacrus as well as its placement from an evolutionary viewpoint. These inferences were assessed by comparing relevant characteristics of the species. Previous work on the genus was assessed in order to help determine which characteristics were useful for defining species. Specimens were examined and data was scored for each species. This allowed for comparisons on the specificity of the new species as well as the other species of the genus. Based on this phenetic analysis, it could be concluded that the hypothesized new species would be classified under the current system as a new species of the genus Meromacrus. From there, a description of the species was written. The efforts of this study will be incorporated into a key and species description of MesoAmerican and Mexican Meromacrus flies that includes a key and the description of the new species. Using the character list developed in the study, future research will use the resultant data matrix and run it through a computer program that calculates the possible evolutionary relationships between the new species and its relatives, the other flies of Meromacrus and outgroups, which are taxa that do not belong to Meromacrus but are included for comparison. This research was supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program, Award Number DBI-9820303. |
