Phylogenetic systematics of Yphthimoides Forster, 1964 and related taxa, with notes on the biogeographical history of Yphthimoides species.

Species losses are increasing and may have an impact on our understanding of patterns of evolutionary pathways and phylogenetic relationships among the groups being lost. The knowledge of such patterns can contribute to preventing future losses by identifying which lineages have higher or lower diversification rates, thus informing conservation strategies. Recent years have seen a significant growth in studies of butterfly systematics, allowing a better understanding of evolutionary relationships among most groups and revealing significant taxonomic chaos in several groups.

Disruption of the odorant coreceptor Orco impairs foraging and host finding behaviors in the New World screwworm fly.

The evolution of obligate ectoparasitism in blowflies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) has intrigued scientists for over a century, and surprisingly, the genetics underlying this lifestyle remain largely unknown. Blowflies use odors to locate food and oviposition sites; therefore, olfaction might have played a central role in niche specialization within the group. In insects, the coreceptor Orco is a required partner for all odorant receptors (ORs), a major gene family involved in olfactory-evoked behaviors.

Genetic Differentiation of a New World Screwworm Fly Population from Uruguay Detected by SNPs, Mitochondrial DNA and Microsatellites in Two Consecutive Years.

The New World screwworm (NWS) fly, (Diptera: Calliphoridae), is an economically important ectoparasite currently distributed in South America and in the Caribbean basin. The successful eradication of this species in USA, Mexico and continental Central America was achieved by a control program based on the sterile insect technique (SIT). In order to implement a genetic control strategy over the NWS fly's current area of occurrence, first, it is necessary to understand the species dynamics and population structure.

Invasion origin, rapid population expansion, and the lack of genetic structure of cotton bollworm () in the Americas.

In 2013, (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) was officially declared as present in Brazil and, after two years, the species was detected in the Caribbean and North America. Information on genetic features and accurate distribution of pests is the basis for agricultural protection policies. Furthermore, such knowledge is imperative to develop control strategies, understand the geographical range, and genetic patterns of this species in the Americas.

Specific Gene Disruption in the Major Livestock Pests and Using CRISPR/Cas9.

and are major pests of livestock. Their larvae infest warm-blooded vertebrates and feed on host's tissues, resulting in severe industry losses. As they are serious pests, considerable effort has been made to develop genomic resources and functional tools aiming to improve their management and control.

High Genetic Diversity and No Population Structure of the New World Screwworm Fly Cochliomyia hominivorax (Diptera: Calliphoridae) on a Microgeographic Scale: Implications for Management Units.

The New World screwworm fly Cochliomyia hominivorax (Coquerel, 1858) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) is an important livestock pest endemic to the Americas that has been eradicated from North and continental Central America with a control program based on the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT). The establishment of target management units is a strategic step in the implementation of new control programs, which can be achieved using genetic studies of natural populations. Previous studies of New World screwworm fly populations were conducted on the continental scale and identified four main groups: two in South America and two in the Caribbean.

Molecular Characterization of the 2016 New World Screwworm (Diptera: Calliphoridae) Outbreak in the Florida Keys.

New World screwworm (NWS), Cochliomyia hominivorax (Coquerel 1858) (Diptera: Calliphoridae), is a myiasis-causing fly that can be a serious threat to the health of livestock, wildlife, and humans. Its progressive eradication from the southern United States, Mexico, and Central America from the 1950s to 2000s is an excellent example of successful pest management using sterile insect technique (SIT). In late 2016, autochthonous NWS were detected in the Florida Keys, representing this species' first invasion in the United States in >30 yr.

The microbiomes of blowflies and houseflies as bacterial transmission reservoirs.

Blowflies and houseflies are mechanical vectors inhabiting synanthropic environments around the world. They feed and breed in fecal and decaying organic matter, but the microbiome they harbour and transport is largely uncharacterized. We sampled 116 individual houseflies and blowflies from varying habitats on three continents and subjected them to high-coverage, whole-genome shotgun sequencing.

The first phylogenetic study of Mesembrinellidae (Diptera: Oestroidea) based on molecular data: clades and congruence with morphological characters.

The Mesembrinellidae (Diptera: Oestroidea) comprise a small group of strictly Neotropical calyptrate flies, with 36 described species. The group has often been treated as a subfamily of Calliphoridae, but there is growing evidence that it corresponds to a distinct Oestroidea lineage. Internal relationships have so far been addressed based only on morphology, with results lacking resolution and support.

Meeting the challenge of DNA barcoding Neotropical amphibians: polymerase chain reaction optimization and new COI primers.

Amphibians are one of the most threatened vertebrate classes, yet at the same time new species are being described every year, demonstrating that the number of existing species is grossly underestimated. In groups such as amphibians, with high extinction rates and poorly known species boundaries, DNA barcoding is a tool that can rapidly assess genetic diversity and estimate species richness for prioritizing conservation decisions. However, reliable recovery of the 5' region of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) gene is critical for the ongoing effort to gather DNA barcodes for all amphibian species.

Large-scale mitogenomics enables insights into Schizophora (Diptera) radiation and population diversity.

True flies are insects of the order Diptera and encompass one of the most diverse groups of animals on Earth. Within dipterans, Schizophora represents a recent radiation of insects that was used as a model to develop a pipeline for generating complete mitogenomes using various sequencing platforms and strategies. 91 mitogenomes from 32 different species were sequenced and assembled with high fidelity, using amplicon, whole genome shotgun or single molecule sequencing approaches.

Four new species of Moneuptychia (Lepidoptera: Satyrinae: Euptychiina) from Brazil.

This paper describes four new species of Moneuptychia as follows: M. montana Freitas, M. vitellina Freitas & Barbosa, M.

Incongruent nuclear and mitochondrial genetic structure of new world screwworm fly populations due to positive selection of mutations associated with dimethyl- and diethyl-organophosphates resistance.

Livestock production is an important economic activity in Brazil, which has been suffering significant losses due to the impact of parasites. The New World screwworm (NWS) fly, Cochliomyia hominivorax, is an ectoparasite and one of the most important myiasis-causing flies endemic to the Americas. The geographic distribution of NWS has been reduced after the implementation of the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), being eradicated in North America and part of Central America.

Selection and validation of reference genes for functional studies in the Calliphoridae family.

The genera Cochliomyia and Chrysomya contain both obligate and saprophagous flies, which allows the comparison of different feeding habits between closely related species. Among the different strategies for comparing these habits is the use of qPCR to investigate the expression levels of candidate genes involved in feeding behavior. To ensure an accurate measure of the levels of gene expression, it is necessary to normalize the amount of the target gene with the amount of a reference gene having a stable expression across the compared species.

Phenotypic polymorphism of Chrysomya albiceps (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) may lead to species misidentification.

Species identification is an essential step in the progress and completion of work in several areas of biological knowledge, but it is not a simple process. Due to the close phylogenetic relationship of certain species, morphological characters are not always sufficiently distinguishable. As a result, it is necessary to combine several methods of analysis that contribute to a distinct categorization of taxa.

Glutamate-gated chloride channel subunit cDNA sequencing of Cochliomyia hominivorax (Diptera: Calliphoridae): cDNA variants and polymorphisms.

The New World screwworm (NWS) Cochliomyia hominivorax (Coquerel) is one of the major myiasis-causing flies that injures livestock and leads to losses of ~US$ 2.7 billions/year in the Neotropics. Ivermectin (IVM), a macrocyclic lactone (ML), is the most used preventive insecticide for this parasite and targets the glutamate-gated chloride (GLUCLα) channels.

Applying spatial analysis of genetic and environmental data to predict connection corridors to the New World screwworm populations in South America.

The myiasis causing New World screwworm (NWS) fly is responsible for substantial losses to livestock breeders in the Americas. Due to the negative impact of the NWS fly in animal health, expansion of successful NWS fly eradication programmes is under discussion. However, the effects of geography and environmental diversity on NWS population structure and migration patterns need to be assessed before any political decision is made to implement such a programme.

Genetic diversity and population structure of the New World screwworm fly from the Amazon region of Brazil.

Cochliomyia hominivorax (Coquerel) is a myiasis fly that causes economic losses to livestock farmers in warmer American regions. Previous studies of this pest had found population structure at north and south of the Amazon Basin, which was considered to be a barrier to dispersal. The present study analyzed three mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) markers and eight nuclear microsatellite loci to investigate for the first time the genetic diversity and population structure across the Brazilian Amazon region (Amazonia).

The phylogeographic history of the new world screwworm fly, inferred by approximate bayesian computation analysis.

Insect pest phylogeography might be shaped both by biogeographic events and by human influence. Here, we conducted an approximate Bayesian computation (ABC) analysis to investigate the phylogeography of the New World screwworm fly, Cochliomyia hominivorax, with the aim of understanding its population history and its order and time of divergence. Our ABC analysis supports that populations spread from North to South in the Americas, in at least two different moments.

Genetic structure and demographic history of new world screwworm across its current geographic range.

The phylogeographical history of the pest fly screwworm, Cochliomyia hominivorax (Coquerel), was studied using partial mitochondrial DNA sequences of the control region, Cytochrome c oxidase (CO) subunit I and CO subunit II from 361 individuals collected across its current geographic range. Analyses showed marked genetic differentiation on a macrogeographic scale. The genetic diversity in the species is structured into four main "regional groups," corresponding to Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and the North and South Amazon region.

Acetylcholinesterase cDNA sequencing and identification of mutations associated with organophosphate resistance in Cochliomyia hominivorax (Diptera: Calliphoridae).

Altered acetylcholinesterase (AChE) has been identified in numerous arthropod species resistant to organophosphate (OP) and carbamate insecticides. The New World screwworm (NWS) Cochliomyia hominivorax (Coquerel), one of the most important myiasis-causing flies in the Neotropics, has been controlled mainly by the application of OP insecticides in its current geographical distribution. However, few studies have investigated insecticide resistance in this species.

Deep sequencing of New World screw-worm transcripts to discover genes involved in insecticide resistance.

Background: The New World screw-worm (NWS), Cochliomyia hominivorax, is one of the most important myiasis-causing flies, causing severe losses to the livestock industry. In its current geographical distribution, this species has been controlled by the application of insecticides, mainly organophosphate (OP) compounds, but a number of lineages have been identified that are resistant to such chemicals. Despite its economic importance, only limited genetic information is available for the NWS.

Changes in the frequency of the G137D and W251S mutations in the carboxylesterase E3 gene of Cochliomyia hominivorax (Diptera: Calliphoridae) populations from Uruguay.

The New World Screwworm (NWS) fly Cochliomyia hominivorax is one of most important myiasis-causing flies in the Neotropics. It is responsible for severe losses to the livestock industry through both mortality and the loss of productivity of infested animals. In Uruguay, NWS represents a significant problem.

Microsatellite markers for population genetic studies of the blowfly Chrysomya putoria (Diptera: Calliphoridae).

The investigation of the genetic variation and population structure of Chrysomya species is of great interest for both basic and applied research. However, very limited genetic information is available for this genus across its geographical distribution. Here, we describe 12 polymorphic microsatellite loci isolated from Chrysomya putoria with expected heterozygosities ranging from 0.

Development of polymorphic microsatellite markers for the human botfly, Dermatobia hominis (Diptera: Oestridae).

In this report, we describe the development of 17 polymorphic microsatellite markers for the human botfly, Dermatobia hominis, an obligatory parasite of mammals of great veterinary importance in Latin America. The number of alleles ranged from 5 to 21 per locus, with a mean of 12.2 alleles per locus.