A review of the endemic Hawaiian Drosophilidae and their host plants
Author
Magnacca, Karl N.
Author
Foote, David
Author
O’Grady, Patrick M.
text
Zootaxa
2008
1728
1
58
journal article
49847
10.5281/zenodo.274194
ea451091-d23b-4a65-adcc-b862d82d62f2
1175-5326
274194
planitibia
clade
Another relatively small group, with 17 species (13 with host records), the
planitibia
clade is also similar to the
adiastola
clade in its restricted use of host plants. The group can be divided into the
picticornis
,
cyrtoloma
,
neopicta
, and
planitibia
subgroups. The
picticornis
group is basal and contains two species,
D. picticornis
and
D. setosifrons
, that lack the extra crossvein that is characteristic of the remaining species. These taxa are widely divergent and may be relics of a larger clade (
Bonacum,
et al.
, 2005
). The sap breeding ecology of
D. picticornis
is unique in the
planitibia
clade. It is also the only
picture wing
to be reared from
Metrosideros polymorpha
(Myrtaceae)
, the most abundant tree in Hawai‘i, but one that some suggest is very recently introduced to the islands (
Wright,
et al.
, 2001
).
Drosophila setosifrons
is a more typical
planitibia
species and breeds in
Araliaceae
bark, making the reconstruction of ancestral host plant for this group uncertain. The hosts of the remaining species are correlated with the subgroups: the
cyrtoloma
and
neopicta
subgroups are strictly on
Araliaceae
, while the
planitibia
subgroup is primarily on
Campanulaceae
. Due to their large size, the latter tend to be associated with the larger, arborescent species of
Clermontia
and
Cyanea
rather than the shrubbier species, such as
Cl. parviflora
, that are often more common. In many areas the larger lobelioid species have declined due to damage from feral ungulates and rats (
Pratt & Abbott, 1997
).