The Drosophila buzzatii cluster is a South American clade that encompasses seven closely related cactophilic species and constitutes a valuable model system for evolutionary research. Though the monophyly of the cluster is strongly supported by molecular, cytological and morphological evidence, phylogenetic relationships within it are still controversial. The phylogeny of the D. buzzatii cluster has been addressed using limited sets of molecular markers, namely a few nuclear and mitochondrial genes, and the sharing of fixed chromosomal inversions. However, analyses based on these data revealed inconsistencies across markers and resulted in poorly resolved basal branches. Here, we revise the phylogeny of the D. buzzatii cluster based on a large transcriptomic dataset of 813 kb obtained from four members of this cluster: D. antonietae, D. borborema, D. buzzatii and D. koepferae, using the close relative D. mojavensis (also a member of the repleta group) as outgroup. Our phylogenomic analyses confirm that D. buzzatii is sister to the other six members of the cluster and, though incomplete lineage sorting likely obstructs phylogenetic resolution among these six species, allowed us to recover a novel topology. Divergence time estimates date the radiation of the cluster to the recent upper Pleistocene with most speciation events compressed to the last 500,000 years.

We analysed a molecular dataset of 1206 Geometroidea terminal taxa. In this paper we focus on New World taxa, with 102 Nearctic terminal taxa (97 of which have not previously been subject to molecular phylogenetic analysis) and 398 Neotropical terminal taxa (375 not previously analysed). Up to eleven molecular markers per specimen were included: one mitochondrial (COI) and ten proteincoding nuclear gene regions (Wingless, ArgK, MDH, RpS5, GAPDH, IDH, Ca-ATPase, Nex9, EF-1alpha, CAD). The data were analysed using maximum likelihood approach as implemented in IQ-TREE and RAxML. Photographs of almost all voucher specimens are provided together with relevant type material in illustrated electronic catalogues in order to make identities and taxonomic changes transparent. Our analysis concentrates on the level of tribes and genera, many of which are shown to be para-or polyphyletic. In an effort towards a natural system of monophyletic taxa, we propose taxonomic changes: We establish 11 new tribe names (Larentiinae, authors Brehm, Murillo-Ramos & Ounap): Brabirodini new tribe, Chrismopterygini new tribe, Psaliodini new tribe, Pterocyphini new tribe, Rhinurini new tribe, Ennadini new tribe, Cophocerotini new tribe, Erebochlorini new tribe; (Ennominae, authors Brehm, Murillo-Ramos & Sihvonen): Euangeronini new tribe, Oenoptilini new tribe, Pyriniini new tribe. We assign 27 genera for the first time to a tribe, propose 29 new tribe assignments and 26 new generic combinations, we synonymize one tribe and seven genera, revive one tribe, and propose to exclude 119 species from non-monophyletic genera (incertae sedis). Our study provides the data and foundation for numerous future taxonomic revisions of New World geometrid moths. We also examine broad-scale biogeographic patterns of New World Geometridae: While Nearctic species are often nested within the predominantly Neotropical clades, the austral South American fauna forms distinct clades, hinting at a long isolation from the remaining New World fauna. (Less)