Phylogenetic Position of the Drosophila Fima and Dentissima Lineages, and the Status of the D. Melanogaster Species Group

The subgenus Sophophora of Drosophila, which includes D. melanogaster, is an important model for the study of molecular evolution, comparative genomics, and evolutionary developmental biology. Numerous phylogenetic studies have examined species relationships in the well-known melanogaster, obscura, willistoni, and saltans species groups, as well as the relationships among these clades. In contrast, other species groups of Sophophora have been relatively neglected and have not been subjected to molecular phylogenetic analysis. Here, we focus on the endemic African Drosophila fima and dentissima lineages. We find that both these clades fall within the broadly defined melanogaster species group, but are otherwise distantly related to each other. The new phylogeny supports pervasive divergent and convergent evolution of male-specific grasping structures (sex combs). We discuss the implications of these results for defining the boundaries of the melanogaster species group, and weigh the relative merits of "splitting" and "lumping" approaches to the taxonomy of this key model system.