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Strepsiptera and their host specialization
Jůzová, Kateřina ; Straka, Jakub (advisor) ; Malenovský, Igor (referee) ; Pohl, Hans (referee)
Strepsiptera, as obligate parasites, have to face the constant selective pressure from their hosts. For this reason, high host specificity and many peculiar autapomorphies have developed in this group. Only a little attention has been paid to the study of phylogeny within particular families of Strepsiptera. Without knowledge of a species concept, it is difficult to estimate different evolutionary scenarios of host-parasite relationships, especially when the species concept is used inconsistently. This situation is made even more difficult by the potential presence of cryptic species or species incorrectly synonymized. Therefore, we focused to the most diversified family of Strepsiptera - family Stylopidae which parasitizing bees (Anthophila: Andrenidae, Colletidae, Halictidae, Melittidae). As a model genus for our phylogenetic studies, we choose the genus Stylops Kirby, 1802 with holarctic distribution, whose representatives are parasites on bees of the genus Andrena Fabricius, 1755. Using the methods of molecular phylogeny, we created the first phylogenetic study of the genus Stylops. Following the results, we could outline the approximate boundary for species delimitation and thereby critically resolve the confusing situation in the species diversity of this genus. Then we mapped the host...
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