Abstract
During an inventory of Phlebotomine sand flies carried out in Madagascar, we have identified some specimens showing morphological characters related to the subgenus Sintonius of the genus Sergentomyia. We started a molecular study based on cytochrome b mtDNA and on D1–D2 and D8 domains of the rDNA. The sampling includes all the Sergentomyia species available and also S. (Sergentomyia) schwetzi, S. (Parrotomyia) magna, and the following species belonging to the subgenus Sintonius: S. clydei, S. christophersi, S. affinis vorax, S. adleri and S. meilloni. The Sintonius subgenus (sensu Theodor) is paraphyletic. The Malagasy specimens morphologically Sintonius-like are never clustered with the continental Sintonius. We propose a new subgenus to include them: Trouilletomyia subg. nov. Due to the lack of mesanepisternal setae, the species huberti is removed from the genus Phlebotomus and we propose here a new combination: Sergentomyia huberti comb. nov. The male of S. huberti is pinpointed and described for the first time. Lastly, a new species for Science is described on one female: Sergentomyia (Trouilletomyia) boironis n. sp.
Highlights
The subgenus Sintonius of the genus Sergentomyia was created in 1931 [1] in an article about a questionable classification of the Phlebotomine sandflies opposed to that previously proposed [2]
The maximum likelihood (ML) and maximum parsimony (MP) trees related to the analysis of the sequences of D1–D2, D8 and cyt b are shown on figures 2, 3, and 4, respectively
Within the Phlebotominae of the Old World, the genus Sergentomyia Franca & Parrot, 1920 appears to be a catch fall group, including all the Old World species excluded from all other genera (Phlebotomus, Idiophlebotomus, Chinius, Spelaeophlebotomus, Grassomyia, Parvidens, Spelaeomyia and Demeillonius) [24,25,32]
Summary
The subgenus Sintonius of the genus Sergentomyia was created in 1931 [1] in an article about a questionable classification of the Phlebotomine sandflies opposed to that previously proposed [2]. Theodor considered this subgenus as an artificial group that does not sufficiently take into account the structures of the pharynx and of the male genitalia. We carried out several sandfly inventories in many parts of Madagascar They included several specimens of males and females sharing the characters defining the subgenus Sintonius. This study is not a phylogenetic analysis of the subgenus Sintonius due to a limited sampling, nor a phylogeny of the genus Sergentomyia It demonstrates that the Sintonius subgenus (sensu Theodor) is paraphyletic. It permitted new insights in the Malagasy sand flies with i) the creation of a new subgenus in the genus Sergentomyia, ii) the identification of a new species and iii) the correction of the position of one Malagasy species wrongly placed in the genus Phlebotomus
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