Recently, knowledge of
Neotropical Simuliidae has been accumulating quickly. However, information about
supra-specific relationships is scarce and diagnoses of
Simulium subgenera are unsatisfactory. To investigate the
relationships among
Simulium (Chirostilbia)
species and test the subgenus monophyly, we performed a cladistic
analysis. The ingroup included all species of this subgenus and the outgroup included representatives of the 17 species
groups of Neotropical
Simulium and three Holarctic species. The study was based on a data matrix with 31
terminal taxa and 45 morphological characteristics of adult, pupa and larva. The phylogenetic analysis under equal
weights resulted in eight most-parsimonious trees (length = 178, consistency index = 34, retention index = 67). The
monophyly of the
S. (Chirostilbia) was not supported in our analysis. The
Simulium subpallidum
species group was
closer to
Simulium (Psilopelmia)
and
Simulium (Ectemnaspis)
than to the
Simulium pertinax
species group. Additionally,
we describe the three-dimensional shape of the terminalia of male and female of
Simulium (Chirostilbia)
for the first time and provide comments about the taxonomic problems involving some species of the subgenus:
Simulium
acarayense
,
Simulium papaveroi
,
S. pertinax,
Simulium serranum
,
Simulium striginotum
and
S. subpallidum.