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Two tribes hidden in one genus: the case of Agaedioxenis Villeneuve (Diptera: Tachinidae: Exoristinae)

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Abstract

The Afrotropical tachinid “genus” Agaedioxenis Villeneuve is taken here as an example of the challenges faced by dipterists in classifying one of the most diverse and species rich families of organisms on Earth. Our study has revealed “two tribes hidden in one genus”, with one lineage representing a genus belonging to the tribe Goniini (Agaedioxenis) and the other representing a genus belonging to Eryciini (Eugaedioxenis gen. nov.). The two genera have been revised through an integrative approach of morphology and genetics (COI barcode sequences). The genus name Agaedioxenis replaces that of Gaedioxenis Townsend as a valid genus name. Agaedioxenis is recognized from five species consisting of two previously described species (Agaedioxenis setifrons (Villeneuve) and Agaedioxenis brevicornis (Villeneuve) both comb. nov.) and three new species (Agaedioxenis kirkspriggsi sp. nov., Agaedioxenis succulentus sp. nov., and Agaedioxenis timidus sp. nov.). Agaedioxenis propinqua (Villeneuve) is recognized as a subjective synonym of A. brevicornis (Villeneuve), syn. nov., and by First Reviser action, the latter is chosen as the senior of the two names. Eugaedioxenis gen. nov. is recognized based on two species, Eugaedioxenis haematodes (Villeneuve), type species and comb. nov., and Eugaedioxenis horridus sp. nov. All new species of both genera are described from South Africa. We further discuss how genetics, morphology, and natural history have contributed to revise the generic circumscription of Agaedioxenis, bringing about both the description of Eugaedioxenis and the revision of the suprageneric classification for these two taxa.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Ashley Kirk-Spriggs (NMB), Burgert Muller (NMDA), and Nigel Wyatt (BMNH) who enabled our studies of the valuable material preserved in their institutions. Thanks to Daniel Whitmore (BMNH) for information about the holotype of A. brevicornis and to Mara Tisato (Centro Nazionale Biodiversità Forestale, Verona, Italy) for help composing plates. Thomas Pape (Natural History Museum of Denmark, Copenhagen) provided the nomenclatural advice on the interpretation of Villeneuve’s genus-group names. Finally, we thank Knut Rognes (University of Stavanger, Stavanger, Norway) and an anonymous reviewer for their constructive comments on earlier drafts of this manuscript.

Funding

This work was supported by U.S. National Science Foundation DEB-1146269 to principal investigators J.O.S. and J.E.O. and to major collaborator P.C.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. DAFNAE-Entomology, University of Padova, Viale dell’Università 16, 35020, Legnaro, Padova, Italy

    Pierfilippo Cerretti

  2. Department of Biology and Biotechnology ‘Charles Darwin’, ‘Sapienza’ University of Rome, Piazzale A. Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy

    Pierfilippo Cerretti & Giuseppe Lo Giudice

  3. Canadian National Collection of Insects, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 960 Carling Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0C6, Canada

    James E. O’Hara

  4. Department of Biological Sciences, Wright State University, Dayton, OH, 45435, USA

    Isaac S. Winkler & John O. Stireman III

Authors
  1. Pierfilippo Cerretti
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  2. James E. O’Hara
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  3. Isaac S. Winkler
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  4. Giuseppe Lo Giudice
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  5. John O. Stireman III
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Correspondence to Pierfilippo Cerretti.

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This work has been registered in ZooBank, http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:0C53D317-5C05-45D7-A9E4-FB6E6D6F28DE

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Cerretti, P., O’Hara, J.E., Winkler, I.S. et al. Two tribes hidden in one genus: the case of Agaedioxenis Villeneuve (Diptera: Tachinidae: Exoristinae). Org Divers Evol 15, 489–512 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13127-015-0211-0

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