Phylogenetics of Bat Flies (Diptera: Nycteribiidae and Streblidae)
I am working to construct a phylogeny of all world bat fly genera. Bat flies are exclusive, blood feeding ectoparasites of bats. This project is being done with collaborations from Carl Dick, Bruce Patterson(both Field Museum), and Michael Whiting(BYU). These insects belong to the order Diptera, and consist of ~570 named species in 43 genera, traditionally placed into the families Streblidae and Nycteribiidae. Bat flies belong to the calypterate superfamily Hippoboscoidea, which encompasses other obligate blood sucking groups such as the medically important Glossinidae (tse-tse flies, which transmit sleeping sickness in sub-Saharan Africa) and Hippoboscidae (parasites of birds and mammals). Some bat fly species are highly host-specific, while a few seem to be polyxenous. Unlike most other insect ectoparasites, which are represented by a single, usually specialized body form (e.g. fleas, lice), bat flies include transitional forms that range from fully winged to completely wingless or from possessing reduced complex eyes to eyeless forms.
The proposed data include morphological characters (ca. 80 characters) and molecular ones (nine genes, both nuclear and mitochondrial). Our synergistic and comprehensive approach toward bat fly evolution will elucidate evolutionary relationships among the bat flies and will allow us to adopt and implement a natural classification scheme that reflects evolutionary history. Moreover, with insights gained through this phylogeny, we will be able to examine patterns of bat fly-host associations, characterize the evolutionary patterns of bat fly ecomorphology, and explore evolutionary patterns of bat fly wing- and eye modifications.
Our recent collaboration has already resulted in [1] the successful acquisition of 85% of our target taxa for DNA work, [2] the coding and analysis of a preliminary morphological matrix (30 characters), [3] the acquisition and analysis of a molecular dataset from five genes (18S rDNA, 16S rDNA, CO2, cytB, and COI) for 40 taxa, and [4] the first reevaluation of bat fly classification (Dittmar et al. 2006). The molecular and mophological datasets together resulted in a strict consensus tree (out of 4, CI: 0.79; tree length 4558), with relatively well supported basal relationships. This preliminary tree topology suggests that 1) bat flies are monophyletic, 2) the family Streblidae is paraphyletic, 3) the family Nycteribiidae is a strongly supported monophyletic group and sister to Ascodipterinae (a streblid subfamily from the Old World), 4) Old and New World bat fly clades are each monophyletic, and 5) bat flies are supported as sister-group to Hippoboscidae + Glossinidae.
Recent Publications related to this project:
Dittmar K, Porter M, Murray S, Whiting MF (2006). Molecular Phylogenetic Analysis of nycteribiid and streblid batflies (Diptera: Brachycera, Calyptratae): Implications for host association and phylogeographic origins. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 38:155-170.
Hastriter MW, Dittmar K, Whiting MF (2006). Investigation of Taxonomically Important Morphological Features of Endoparasitic Bat Flies of the Subfamily Ascodipterinae (Streblidae) by Scanning Electron Microscopy. Zootaxa 1122: 57-68.
Trowbridge R., Dittmar K., Whiting MF. (2005). Identification and phylogeny of new endosymbionts from batflies (Nycteribiidae and Streblidae). Journal of Insect Pathology 91:64-68.