Using DNA sequence data for Dohrniphora Dahl (Diptera: Phoridae) phylogeny and associating males and females of sexually dimorphic species

The genus Dohrniphora Dahl is one of the largest phorid genera and exhibits a wide range of natural histories. Most species are recognized only by male specimens due to the high degree of sexual dimorphism. One of the most common characters for distinguishing male phorids, the genitalia, is extremely uniform in the genus; therefore, keys to Dohrniphora species must rely heavily on the features found on the posterior face of the hind femur. The first molecular phylogenetic study of the genus Dohrniphora is presented here, encompassing over 70 taxa from three subfamilies and eight genera. Molecular data was obtained from partial gene regions of mitochondrial NADH1 dehydrogenase 1 (ND1), cytochrome oxidase I (CO1), 16S rDNA, and nuclear CAD (rudimentary). Parsimony and Bayesian analyses recovered Dohrniphora as a monophyletic clade with respect to the closely related genus Diplonevra. With the molecular phylogeny presented here, phylogenetic hypotheses concerning the hind femoral structure for Dohrniphora were analyzed. Further, the taxonomic utility of molecular DNA sequence data for associating sexually dimorphic Dohrniphora species is discussed.