The origin and possible time of divergence of the Hawaiian Drosophilidae: evidence from DNA sequences

Abstract

The origins and times of divergence of the speciose Hawaiian Drosophilidae are examined using mtDNA sequences. The Hawaiian Drosophilidae are resolved as the sister group to the subgenus Drosophila. No one member of the subgenus Drosophila could be determined to be more closely related to the Hawaiian Drosophilidae than could any other. This result suggests that the Hawaiian Drosophilidae arose before the diversification of the subgenus Drosophila and after the divergence of the subgenus Sophophora. In light of fossil evidence, this phylogenetic scenario suggests that the Hawaiian Drosophilidae lineages are no younger than 30 Myr.