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Jul 12, 2022
Abstract
Simulium (Pternaspatha) is a peculiar Southern South American blackfly subgenus, with 26 species
distributed along the Andes from Tierra del Fuego to SW Perú, and one species in Ecuador, It is a
monophyletic taxon defined by two synapomorphies: 1) “female scutum gray, with 1 + I sublateral and
median black, dusted, longitudinal stripes, median stripe divided longitudinally by a fine grayish line and
abdomen with 1 + 1 whitish submedian spots with variable size and distribution among tergites”, and 2)
“distimere of male genitalia subquadrate with slow concavity distally and subapical spine”, and without
resemblance with the remaining tropical Sim ulium subgenera. A cladistic analysis was conducted using 24
morphological characters from the male, female, pupa, and larva. Polarity of characteres was based on the
outgroup comparison method, using “blancasi” group, from Chile and the Peruvian desert. With mh* option
of Hennig86 program 12 most parsimonious cladograms were obtained, each with 44 steps and a consistency
Índex of 0,97 and retention inder of 0,98; with bb* option 86 most parsimonious trees were obtained. A strict
consensus tree was calculated. This cladogram define two monophyletic groups that corresponded to
“nemorale” and “nigristrigatum” groups in accordance to Coscaron and Wygodzinsky (1972). Two maps
with 5. (Pternaspatha) geographical distribution and relationships of ciados with biogeographical areas are
added.
