Phylogeny of Anisepyris Kieffer (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae: E pyrinae), with investigation of diagnostic features

Abstract

Abstract A cladistic analysis based on 120 morphological characters and 72 OTUs was conducted for the flat wasp genus Anisepyris Kieffer. The genus is mainly Neotropical region with few Nearctic species. The analysis retrieved well-supported relationships among the Anisepyris species and exposed the distribution of synapomorphies among the lineages, particularly concerning the mandible shape, dorsal pronotal area sulcus, and mesopleural foveae. The main diagnostic characters, described by Barbosa and Azevedo (2018) for the 13 species-groups of Anisepyris, were scrutinized. Transformation series and evolutionary hypotheses were also discussed. This discussion elucidates the importance of each character in the evolution and diversification along the different lineages. A discussion on the species-groups distribution is proposed, in relation to their diagnostic features. A hypothesis about the original distribution and the subsequent diversifications was also discussed. In conclusion, due to a possible recent origin for Anisepyris species, the dispersion could be related primarily to dense forest areas; and the retrieved synapomorphies could be related to posterior distributions of the species in disparate areas from their original environment.