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Insects
Special Issues
Diptera Diversity: Systematics, Phylogeny and Evolution
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Diptera Diversity: Systematics, Phylogeny and Evolution

A special issue of Insects (ISSN 2075-4450). This special issue belongs to the section "Insect Systematics, Phylogeny and Evolution".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2025 | Viewed by 1430

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Laura Likov

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovića 2, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Interests: entomology; Diptera; hoverflies; taxonomy; morphology; ecology; conservation; fauna

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

The order Diptera (true flies) is one of the largest and most species-rich group of insects, with more than 150,000 described species, while many more await names. Such a large amount of revealed and yet to be revealed diversity allows for scientists to better understand the intermediate steps of evolution. The study of fly evolution provides an excellent tool for understanding the diversification of Diptera. On the other hand, understanding the phylogenetic relationships provides a framework upon which all other biological information may be interpreted, while systematics of the order are constantly changing as new information is uncovered by ongoing research. Diptera have a great impact on human and animal health,  but also perform an important ecosystem role by participating in pollinating a wide range of plant species.

Using scientific disciplines such as systematics, phylogeny, and evolution, we can obtain more detailed insights into how this group of insects originated and developed incredible diversity, being aware that the number of recognized species is growing day by day. This is precisely why this Special Issue, under the title ‘Diptera Diversity: Systematics, Phylogeny and Evolution’, is being launched. Now you can be a part of this process and contribute your scientific work. If you study any group within the order Diptera from the aspect of the above-mentioned disciplines, you are welcome to share your results with the world in this Special Issue of the journal Insects.

Dr. Laura Likov
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Insects is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • integrative taxonomy
  • genetics
  • fly diversity
  • population dynamics
  • new species
  • molecular data
  • morphological characters
  • phylogenetic relationships
  • evolutionary trees

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 12416 KiB  
Article
Rare Chromosomal Uniformity in Black Flies of the Simulium striatum Species Group (Diptera: Simuliidae)
by Peter H. Adler, Sergey Vlasov, Yao-Te Huang, Upik K. Hadi, Khamla Inkhavilay, Banchai Malavong, Varvara Topolenko, Bhuvadol Gomontean, Waraporn Jumpato, Ronnalit Mintara, San Namtaku, Isara Thanee, Wannachai Wannasingha, Komgrit Wongpakam, Chavanut Jaroenchaiwattanachote and Pairot Pramual
Insects 2025, 16(5), 511; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects16050511 - 10 May 2025
Viewed by 258
Abstract
We conducted a comparative chromosomal analysis of 10 nominal species and 3 unidentified species in the Simulium striatum group from six countries. A total of 66 chromosomal rearrangements were found, of which 78.8% were inversions. The group is defined by 11 fixed inversions, [...] Read more.
We conducted a comparative chromosomal analysis of 10 nominal species and 3 unidentified species in the Simulium striatum group from six countries. A total of 66 chromosomal rearrangements were found, of which 78.8% were inversions. The group is defined by 11 fixed inversions, of which 6 are unique, supporting the monophyletic status previously indicated by morphological and molecular characters. Only 1 of the 13 taxa had a unique fixed chromosomal rearrangement. Although the group demonstrates significant macrogenomic reorganization, subsequent speciation occurred largely without chromosomal rearrangement. The results conflict with the pattern seen in all other species groups of Simuliidae, in which one or more diagnostic rearrangements are typically expressed among species in the same group. The chromosomes provide limited evidence that four entities are valid species but no evidence for the nine others. The weight of evidence from combined chromosomal, molecular, and morphological data, in addition to the practical considerations made for insular species, supports the species status of seven of these nominal species; the remaining taxa require further study. The S. striatum group, accordingly, is either over-divided into nominal species or deficient in chromosomal discriminators. If most or all nominal species and unnamed species are valid, all but one are homosequential, an unprecedented condition in Simuliidae. This group illustrates the need for the integration of multiple character sets for discovering and delimiting species. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diptera Diversity: Systematics, Phylogeny and Evolution)
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24 pages, 7112 KiB  
Article
Species Richness and Distribution of Calliphoridae Along an Elevation Gradient in Sicily (Italy) and Ecuador
by M. Denise Gemmellaro, Gail S. Anderson, George C. Hamilton, Mariela Domínguez-Trujillo and Lauren M. Weidner
Insects 2025, 16(5), 498; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects16050498 - 6 May 2025
Viewed by 903
Abstract
Blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) are among the first insects to arrive on a corpse, and so they are particularly important in forensic entomology. To use blow flies in forensic investigations, there must be information available on their species diversity, abundance, and distribution in [...] Read more.
Blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) are among the first insects to arrive on a corpse, and so they are particularly important in forensic entomology. To use blow flies in forensic investigations, there must be information available on their species diversity, abundance, and distribution in the areas where investigations are conducted. Several factors can contribute to species distribution, and elevation is one of those factors. The purpose of this study was to document the distribution of Calliphoridae across four elevational gradients in Sicily and Ecuador, where little information is available. Baited traps were placed at elevations ranging from 20 m to 1552 m in Sicily (a major island and region of Italy and a distinct ecoregion) and 561 m to 3336 m in Ecuador. Species richness, relative abundance, and diversity were calculated, as well as the ratio of female to male blow flies and community assemblage. Twelve species were collected in Sicily, and seventeen species were collected in Ecuador. In Sicily, the most abundant species was Lucilia sericata (Meigen) (68.50% of the total capture), while in Ecuador, it was Compsomyiops verena (Walker) (51.67% of the total capture). In Sicily, significant differences were only observed in the relative abundance of L. sericata across elevations. In Ecuador, significant differences were observed in the relative abundance of Calliphora nigribasis (Macquart), Chrysomya albiceps (Wiedemann), C. verena, Hemilucilia semidiaphana (Rondani), Lucilia ibis (Shannon), L. purpurascens (Walker), and Paralucilia sp. across elevations. These data can help build a checklist of blow fly species in these two regions and can be instrumental in environmental and forensic investigations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diptera Diversity: Systematics, Phylogeny and Evolution)
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