Taxonomic review of the Australian Drosophila setifemur species group, a new name for the D. dispar species group (Diptera: Drosophilidae)

Abstract

Examination of the holotype and a paratype of Drosophila setifemur Malloch, 1924 in the Australian Museum has resulted in the discovery that it is not a synonym of D. sulfurigaster as had previously been assumed. Instead, D. setifemur is a senior synonym of the widespread eastern Australian species D. dispar Mather, 1955. The so-called Drosophila dispar species group is renamed the Drosophila setifemur species group and Drosophila unguicula is removed from it. An illustrated key to Australian drosophilids with spinescent fore-femora is provided. Mcevey, Shane F., 2009. Taxonomic review of the Australian Drosophila setifemur species group, a new name for the D. dispar species group (Diptera: Drosophilidae). Records of the Australian Museum 61(1): 31–38. The genus Drosophila accommodates a great range of drosophilids, with numerous aggregations at various levels between genus and species (viz. subgenus, species group, subgroup, complex, etc.). A rapidly growing body of knowledge is allowing us to know with ever increasing certainty the true genetic relationship between species. But ultimately, even when the tree that relates every lab strain and every field-sampled specimen is known with a high level of confidence, there will remain the task of affixing the taxonomically valid names to each of those samples and to biological species. Drosophila currently has c. 1,600 described species; c. 350 are classified with D. melanogaster in the subgenus Sophophora, and another c. 730 species are treated as Drosophila s.str. Nearly all are attracted to fruit baits and can be established as cultures in the laboratory. The following synonymy involves Drosophila dispar Mather, 1955: 570 (a species in the dispar species group of the Drosophila subgenus Sophophora) and D. setifemur Malloch, 1924: 351 (a species incorrectly classified as synonymous with D. sulfurigaster (Duda, 1923: 48) in the nasuta subgroup, immigrans species group of Drosophila s.str.). Removing D. setifemur from synonymy with D. sulfuri­ gaster and placing it in synonymy with D. dispar leads to a need to rename the Drosophila dispar species group (established by Mather,1955).