CONOPIDAE, LATREILLE, 1802

Gibson, Joel F. & Skevington, Jeffrey H., 2013, Phylogeny and taxonomic revision of all genera of Conopidae (Diptera) based on morphological data, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 167 (1), pp. 43-81 : 71

BIOGEOGRAPHY OF CONOPIDAE

While an overall biogeographical pattern is difficult to determine for Conopidae , a number of intrasubfamilial observations can be made that may facilitate future investigation. The divisions between biogeographical regions employed here follow those of McAlpine et al. (1981) and Papp & Darvas (2000).

Stylogastrinae has a southern distribution. The subfamily is absent from the Palaearctic and only two species are found in the Nearctic Region. The bulk of the diversity appears to be found in the Neotropics. Furthermore, both Gibson et al. (2012) and the present analysis recover four Old World species of Stylogaster as a monophyletic clade within the subfamily. This phylogeny and distribution pattern suggests a possible origin of Stylogaster in South America with a single invasion and radiation in the Old World.

In the present analysis, Dalmanniinae is divided into the Holarctic Dalmannia and the Neotropical Baruerizodion . Two species of Dalmannia are included in Smith’s (1975) Oriental catalogue, but they are both from China’s Jiangsu province, which is not conventionally considered part of the Oriental Region.

Myopinae and Thecophorini are each global in distribution with little pattern evident in the present analysis. Myopini , however, displays an interesting pattern. Three species of Myopa are included in Papavero’s (1971) Neotropical catalogue, but they are all from the Chihuahua state of Mexico, which is not conventionally considered part of the Neotropical Region. The species of Myopa included in Smith’s (1975) Oriental catalogue are all from northern China or northern India. A single species of Myopa is recorded from Australia. Melanosoma and Myopotta are recorded only from the Palaearctic. Myopini can thus be described as mainly Holarctic, with Paramyopa and Pseudomyopa being the sole representatives of the tribe in Africa and South America, respectively.

Sicinae is limited in generic and species diversity. It is also exclusive to the Palaearctic Region and the northern reaches of the Oriental Region.

Within Zodioninae , Zodion is global in distribution. Parazodion , Robertsonomyia , and Zodiomyia , however, are endemic to the Neotropics, the New World, and the Oriental Region, respectively.

Conopinae is truly global in distribution, but closer analysis of its component tribes reveals some biogeographical pattern. Neoconopini is the sister group of the remaining Conopinae and is one of two tribes composed entirely of Australian endemic genera. The remaining tribes of Conopinae are each restricted to a specific area, with notable exceptions. Conopini and Pleurocerinellini are both exclusively Old World, but absent from Australia. A single species of Conops , pruinosus Bigot, 1887, is recorded from the New World, but this identification and/or locality information should probably be questioned. Gyroconopini is found only in the New World. The distribution of Siniconopini is limited to the far eastern Palaearctic and Oriental Regions. Microconopini is exclusively Australian. Members of Brachyceraeini are found only in the Palaearctic and Oriental Regions. Caenoconopini is the only tribe endemic to the Afrotropical Region. Asiconopini and Physocephalini are both global in distribution, with some genera and subgenera being endemic to certain regions.

The remaining tribe, Tropidomyiini , presents an odd distribution amongst its three included genera. Schedophysoconops is exclusively Afrotropical, but is monotypic. Tropidomyia is circumtropical in distribution. Physoconops is endemic to the New World. Four species of Physoconops from the Afrotropical and Oriental Regions are reclassified here. The two remaining Oriental species ( P. jutogensis Nayar, 1968 and P. borneensis Kröber, 1940a ) need to be re-examined, but are probably not Physoconops .

While taxon representation of all global regions is certainly not equal in the present analysis, a general pattern can be observed. The Stylogastrinae probably originated in South America, with a subsequent radiation into Africa and Australia. The remaining Conopidae probably originated in the northern hemisphere. This hypothesis is strengthened by the location of a fossil of † Palaeomyopinae in Baltic Amber. Some clades (e.g. Dalmanniinae , Myopini, Sicinae ) have spread throughout the Holarctic, but little beyond. Zodioninae appear to have spread to all geographical regions, but with little genus-level diversification. Finally, Conopinae represents a series of tribe-level invasions and subsequent radiations within various regions. This radiation has been accompanied by a great deal of genus- and species-level diversity, but little genitalic and molecular diversity ( Gibson et al., 2012).