Cladistic analysis of Reduviidae (Heteroptera: Cimicomorpha) based on morphological characters

Abstract

Abstract With more than 6600 species worldwide, Reduviidae (Insecta: Heteroptera), or assassin bugs, form the second largest and one of the most diverse groups of true bugs. The poor condition of the higher‐level classification of Reduviidae is reflected by the facts that different authors recognize between 21 and 32 subfamily‐level names and that Reduviidae were never subjected to a rigorous cladistic analysis using an exemplar approach. In the present study, a cladistic analysis of higher‐level taxa of Reduviidae based on 162 morphological characters and 75 ingroup and outgroup species is presented. Twenty‐one subfamily‐level taxa of Reduviidae were examined, accounting for 28 tribes. In addition to characters previously used for diagnosis in Reduviidae, information on recently published character complexes is used in the present analysis, supplemented with new character information gathered specifically for this project. Reduviidae are supported as a monophyletic group with Pachynomidae as their sister taxon. The major results of this study are the support of a sistergroup relationship of Hammacerinae with the remaining Reduviidae, the monophyly of the Phymatine Complex, the relatively basal position of Harpactorinae within Reduviidae as well as a novel hypothesis on the relationships within this group, and the sistergroup relationship of Ectrichodiinae + Tribelocephalinae and their placement in a clade that also contains Emesinae, Saicinae, and Visayanocorinae. The analysis further supports a clade formed by paraphyletic Salyavatinae + Sphaeridopinae, renders Vesciinae non‐monophyletic, and demonstrates the polyphyly of Reduviinae. Pseudocetherinae are shown to group with some Reduviinae. Triatominae are supported as a monophyletic group and are nested among additional Reduviinae and Stenopodainae.