Hemerodromiinae (Diptera: Empididae): a tentative phylogeny and biogeographical discussion

A phylogenetic analysis of the fly subfamily Hemerodromiinae (Diptera: Empididae) reveals that certain species groups, including those found on Lord Howe Island Group, New Zealand, and the Southwest Pacific, represent relictual Gondwanan elements that have persisted as metapopulations on ephemeral islands. The study suggests an early Cretaceous divergence of Hemerodromiinae from other Empididae lineages, predating major Gondwanan fragmentation. Morphological cladistic analysis was used to hypothesize relationships, identifying a widespread Chelipoda-like group with global distribution and an austral group confined to the Southern Hemisphere. Additionally, the study proposes taxonomic changes, including the synonymization of Ptilophyllodromia under Chelipoda, and identifies Chelifera detestata as the only genuine fossil representative of Hemerodromiinae from Eocene/Oligocene Baltic amber.

PLANT, A. R. (2010). Hemerodromiinae (Diptera: Empididae): a tentative phylogeny and biogeographical discussion. Systematic Entomology, 36(1), 83–103. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3113.2010.00547.x