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The Fly Tree of Life – Big Science, Big Results?

Cool Science, Entomology, Publication, Review, Taxonomy 8 Responses »

Apr 112011

This post is going to be longer and a little more technical than normal; feel free to jump in and out, or just check out some of the photos on your way to the conclusions. Although I may come across as critical and occasionally cynical at times, I’m not picking on anyone just to be a thorn, but rather to promote scientific discussion; I fully encourage you to join the discussion in the comments section. Finally, in the spirit of full disclosure, a portion of my graduate research was funded via the NSF Tree of Life grant behind this paper (although neither myself nor my research contributed to this project in any manner that I’m aware of), and one of my academic advisors is a co-author on the paper.

Robber Fly with Prey - Asilidae - Ecuador

Despite my best efforts here at Biodiversity in Focus, research on flies very rarely makes the mainstream media (besides mosquitoes, malaria and Drosophila of course), so when one of the most important papers on fly evolution was released and started making the science blog circuit, I was excited to see people taking an interest in Dipterology! There was one problem however, which is not limited to the blogosphere and this paper, but has been an increasingly common trend in insect systematics: the blind acceptance and assumption that a new phylogeny is the definitive answer because the researchers used an ever increasing number of genes. One influential blogger, who’s also an evolutionary entomologist, summarized the results of the Diptera tree of life as such:

But they’re solid results, since they’re based on lots of molecular data and the branch positions are well supported. — Jerry A. Coyne, Ph.D

Similarly, the research team who published the tree are encouraging the idea that their results are infallible by labeling their work the “New Periodic Table of Flies”. A bold statement, and one that many taxonomists might be hesitant to make as it implies that they don’t expect future studies to return different relationships, much as the periodic table of chemical elements is not about to change. An analogy like this requires a strong body of evidence to support it, so let’s take a look at what they did and how the Diptera family tree looks!

Tabanidae of Canada east of the Rocky Mountains – CJAI Vol. 13

Entomology, Insects, Publication, Taxonomy 3 Responses »

Feb 172011

It’s a been a busy period for the Canadian Journal of Arthropod Identification, and today I bring you lucky #13, the final volume chronicling the horse & deer flies of Canada east of the Rockies. Although Canadian tabanids were relatively recently treated by H.G. Teskey (1990), Anthony Thomas has now updated the distributions for these flies, and has greatly increased the number of illustrations, simplifying the identification of these beautiful brachycerans.

Atylotus bicolor (Wiedemann)

The Staphylinidae of Eastern Canada – CJAI Vol. 12

Entomology, Publication, Taxonomy 3 Responses »

Feb 102011

The latest volume of the Canadian Journal of Arthropod Identification was published recently and is the first in a series on the Staphylinidae of Eastern Canada. Coordinated and authored by Adam Brunke, this first volume provides a key to all of the rove beetle subfamilies and tribes of the Staphylininae found in eastern Canada (and adjoining US states, termed ECAS by Adam). In addition to these keys, Adam has treated the species of the Staphylinina, and has plans to further coordinate and complete the treatment of the eastern Canadian Staphylinidae in due time (it might take awhile considering the rove beetles are the largest family of animals in the world). With plenty of stunning images and an unconventional key structure designed to increase usability for even the most novice of entomologists, Adam is well on his way to bringing these tiny yet important beetles into the public!

Xantholinus elegans by Dave Cheung Staphylinidae Insect Beetle

Photo by Dave K.B. Cheung

Reference

Brunke, A., Newton, A., Klimaszewski, J., Majka, C. and Marshall, S. 2011. Staphylinidae of Eastern Canada and Adjacent United States. Key to Subfamilies; Staphylininae: Tribes and Subtribes, and Species of Staphylinina. Canadian Journal of Arthropod Identification No. 12, 20 January 2011, available online at http://www.biology.ualberta.ca/bsc/ejournal/bnkmm_12/index.html, doi: 10.3752/cjai.2011.12. (Open Access)

Uninvited (but very cool) houseguests – Guest Post

Biology, Entomology, Guest Blog, Publication 6 Responses »

Jan 282011

Today’s special guest blogger is Jess Vickruck, a PhD candidate at Brock University. Jess studies twig nesting bee diversity and the impacts of nest choice on their biology.

When I first started my master’s project, my intention was to look at how nest choice affected fitness in twig nesting carpenter bees (genus Ceratina, family Apidae). Little did I know that along with twigs full of bee larvae I would also get up close and personal with numerous uninvited house guests who all had one thing in mind – Ceratina are delicious! Although my supervisor continually reminded me that my thesis was about the bees and not the species that eat bees, I wrote up the data, and lucky for me it appears in the 2010 edition of the Journal of the Entomological Society of Ontario.

Fly Cankles and Literary Evolution

Cool Science, Entomology, Publication 7 Responses »

Jan 272011

Flies are cool. You might even say they’re phat (I know, I’m pretty fly for a white guy). But a newly described dance fly species (Empididae) from Japan takes the term “phat” to an all new level. Meet Empis jaschhoforum:

Empis jaschhoforum male morphs from Daugeron et al. 2011

Figures 1a-c from Daugeron et al., 2011

Cruel Science – First species described solely from DNA Barcodes

Cool Science, Publication, Review, Taxonomy 8 Responses »

Jan 202011

Lately I’ve showcased a number of scientific papers that I’ve dubbed “Cool Science”; today is no exception, except this paper is cool for what should be all the wrong reasons. But let me start at the beginning.

The Blow Flies of Eastern Canada

Entomology, Insects, Publication 3 Responses »

Jan 112011

The Canadian Journal of Arthropod Identification has just published it’s 11th edition and features the blow flies (Calliphoridae) of eastern Canada. This new paper includes richly illustrated keys to the adults of all genera found in eastern North America and the species found in eastern Canada (excluding the cluster flies (Polleniinae), and the rare, mollusk-parasitizing Melanomyinae). Additionally, two species are newly recorded in Canada (or eastern Canada), and Stephen Marshall has populated the paper with his world-class photographs.

Lucilia sericata Calliphoridae Blow Fly Common Green Bottle Fly

Lucilia sericata, the common green bottle fly

The Calliphoridae are important for a number of reasons, and unlike many insects, correct identifications can quite literally be a life or death choice. These flies are a keystone in forensic entomology, and knowing which species colonize a victim’s body, and when, can mean the difference between catching a killer and convicting the wrong person. The importance of Ontario Calliphoridae is perfectly illustrated in the case of Steven Truscott. Sentenced to death by hanging at the age of 14 for the murder of Lynne Harper in rural Ontario, Truscott’s sentence was commuted to life in prison in 1959. Truscott served his 25 year sentence behind bars, and lived with the stigma of a being a convicted murderer for nearly 50 years. It wasn’t until an appeal before the Ontario Court of Appeal in 2006 that entomological evidence collected at the time of the murder was analysed and presented by Dr. Sherah VanLaerhoven of the University of Windsor. This entomological evidence, largely composed of blow fly maggots, helped to overturn Truscott’s conviction, and led to his acquittal. Sure, forensic entomology wasn’t even on the radar in 1959 (although the coroner at the time had the presence of mind to collect and catalog maggots from on and around the body), but forensic entomologists today are called to hundreds of crime scenes every year to help develop a timeline of events to be used in criminal prosecution.

The majority of people using this paper will not be making these life or death decisions, but being able to identify the species you find on your backyard flowers (because blow flies are also major pollinators) is equally important. Plus, if you choose to play CSI on that dead squirrel under the deck, now you can!

They Came from Over Seas – Guest Blog

Biology, Entomology, Guest Blog, Publication 2 Responses »

Nov 052010

I’d like to welcome Adam Brunke to Biodiversity in Focus as a special guest blogger today. Adam is a graduate student at the University of Guelph, and studies the diversity and agroecology of rove beetles (Staphylinidae) in Ontario.

North America’s insect fauna is changing rapidly. Many of us, however, are completely unaware of this: flies still land on our food, mosquitoes continue to feed on us and carpenter ants show up every year in our kitchens looking for something to eat. The truth is, something strange is happening to the insect communities in our backyards. So many foreign invaders have become established on this continent that it’s becoming a challenge in some places to find native species. In my experience this is especially apparent for beetles: firstly because there are so many exotic species here now; secondly because this is the group that I specialize in. If you casually surveyed your neighborhood for beetles, and sent the sample 100 years into the past to a taxonomist working in North America, they would probably complement you on your excellent reference collection of European Coleoptera!

Photo by Dave K.B. Cheung

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