The new species Mesosmittia museophila from the Neotropics is described and illustrated based on male imagines. A cladistic analysis was conducted in order to assess its possible relationships with the remaining species in the genus, and it was found that M. museophila is the sister group of M. mina Sæther and these two species are closely related to M. prolixa Sæther. This analysis suggests th...

The phylogenetic relationships of the genera, subgenera and species-groups of the Vespinae are analysed using cladistic techniques. The results are used as the basis for a natural classification of these wasps. The cladogram for the four genera recognized is: Vespa + .cProvespa + (Dolichovespula + Vespula)). No subgenera are recognized; all those previously described are synonymized with the ap...

A cladistic analysis was performed on a 378 bp region of the wingless gene from 103 nymphalid species and three pierid outgroups in order to infer higher level patterns of relationship among nymphalid subfamilies and tribes. Although the data are highly homoplastic, in many instances the most parsimonious cladograms corroborate traditionally recognized groups. The results suggest that this shor...

The properties of cladistic data sets from small monophyletic groups (6-12 species) are investigated using computer simulations of macroevolution. Two evolutionary models are simulated: gradualism and the punctuated-equilibrium hypothesis. Under the conditions of our simulations these two models of evolution make consistently different predictions about the distribution of autapomorphies among ...

Fossil species of bethyline wasps from Dominican amber are revised. Based on a cladistic analysis female morphological data we recognize new genus and species, † Crassibethylus dominicanus gen. et sp. nov. , which came out as sister group the clade Odontepyris + Prosierola . We also transfer to Bethylidae fossil taxon originally described in Sclerogibbidae, placing Pterosclerogibba Olmi junior ...

Nine hundred eighty species belonging to 182 genera of 15 subfamilies of the family Dolichopodidae were investigated to study antennal morphology. Length measurements of scape, pedicel, postpedicel and arista and height measurements of postpedicel bases were performed, and 4 ratios were selected. Use of morphometric characteristics of Dolichopodidae antennae allows meaningful distinctions betwe...

The genus Renilla is an interesting taxon for phylogenetic studies, which includes six species endemic to America with an anphiamerican distribution (Pacific–Atlantic Ocean). A cladistic analysis of Renilla Lamarck, 1816 using eight characters from external morphology produced one cladogram (length 14, CI = 0.92, RI = 0.87), and the characters were polarized using Echinoptilum macintoshii Hubre...