Anthomyza gilviventris in Palaearctic Region: integrative taxonomy, variability and habitat associations of North European population (Diptera: Anthomyzidae)

Abstract: Anthomyza gilviventris Roháček & Barber, 2016, hitherto known only from the Nearctic Region, is recorded from the Palaearctic Region (NE Sweden) for the first time. Specimens from the Swedish population have been compared with those of A. gilviventris from Canada and the USA and those of A. tschirnhausi Roháček, 2009 from the Kamchatka Peninsula (Far East of Russia). Both morphological and molecular analyses (BI and RAxML, based on seven DNA markers: 12S, 16S, 28S, COI, COII, CytB, ITS2) confirmed that the Swedish specimens belong to A. gilviventris. Because no specimen of A. tschirnhausi has been available for molecular study, the most diagnostic morphological characters used for separation of this species from A. gilviventris have been re-evaluated with respect to Swedish specimens, and their variability discussed. However, these differences, although stable, are relatively small and, consequently, the possibility that they fall within the limits of a single variable species has not been entirely eliminated. New biological information (habitat and host-plant associations) on the Swedish population of A. gilviventris is presented.

Key words: Diptera, Anthomyzidae, Anthomyza tschirnhausi group, biology, distribution, DNA sequences, morphology of terminalia, taxonomy, Sweden, Palaearctic Region