Dr Keith Bayless1

1Australian National Insect Collection Csiro, Australia

Biography:

Dr. Keith Bayless is a research scientist at the Australian National Insect Collection studying the evolutionary biology of flies. His research incorporates genomics, systematics, ecology, and behaviour.

Abstract:

Discovering and describing novel taxa can have immediate impacts on multiple fields, for instance genomics and biocontrol. An Australian Biological Resources Study-funded study in progress on scale parasitoid Cryptochetum flies has also facilitated taxonomic advances in related Drosophilidae. Within Cryptochetum, extensive sampling has revealed dozens of new species but has not yet revealed the closest relatives to cottony cushion scale biocontrol agents released from Australia in the 1890s. This suggests high specificity and species turnover in these poorly known flies. In order to understand the origin of Cryptochetum, a phylogeny based on analyses of 200 taxa and 3000 markers was analysed to yield compelling hypotheses, including the non-monophyly of Cryptochetidae and Drosophilidae with respect to each other. Drosophilidae includes biosecurity risk species and genetic model organisms, but the vast majority of its species are poorly known. This study reveals the closest relatives of Cryptochetidae and bee lice Braulidae within Drosophilidae. Extensive malaise trap-driven field work and museomics have uncovered new species, genera, and tribes of Drosophilidae. For instance, one new genus from southern New South Wales which exhibits sexual dimorphism and reduced wing armature is resolved as the sister group to the subfamily Drosophilinae. This provides evidence that the Australasian region is critical for drosophilid biogeography, giving rise to synanthropes, model organisms, and the Hawaiian Drosophila radiation. This new genus is now the focus of an international collaborative long-read population genomics study. Comprehensive sampling and character selection are critical to understand the evolutionary history of hyperdiverse clades and empower downstream applications.