Opsin is a multiple copy, nuclear visual pigment gene that encodes for light absorbing proteins. Most studies of insect opsins to date have addressed the molecular evolution of opsin genes in only one or a few closely related species. We amplified and sequenced opsin in a broad sample of brachyceran fly groups to evaluate its use as a phylogenetic marker for divergences between 150-45 million years ago. Phylogenetic analyses of these data are presented demonstrating the levels at which opsin might be applied in insect molecular systematics.
Species 1: Diptera
Keywords: Diptera, opsin
The ESA 2001 Annual Meeting - 2001: An Entomological Odyssey of ESA