Phylogenetic relationships of the Sarcophagidae (Diptera), using three mitochondrial loci (COI, COII, and ND4) and one nuclear locus (PER)

The family Sarcophagidae (Diptera) contains species of agricultural, forensic, and medical importance. However, relationships within the family are still poorly understood. In order to provide greater insight into deeper phylogenetic nodes in these groups, we analyze sequence data for five mitochondrial genes [cytochrome oxidase I (COI), cytochrome oxidase II (COII), dehydrogenase subunit four (ND4), dehydrogenase subunit six (ND6), cytochrome b (cyt b)], and one nuclear gene, period (PER), from 47 species collected across the US. Together these loci comprise approximately 6970 bp of combined mtDNA and nDNA (COI 1929 bp, COII 637 bp, ND4 692 bp, ND6 1012 bp, cytB 1000 bp, PER 1700 bp). Maximum Parsimony, Maximum Likelihood, and Bayesian Inference results are compared and contrasted amongst the various loci. We specifically compare our molecular-based results to both the classical, morphology-based taxonomic subdivisions and recent morphological phylogenetic studies.