ABSTRACT

The superfamily Tephritoidea includes the families Lonchaeidae, Piophilidae, Pallopteridae, Richardiidae, Ulidiidae (= Otitidae, = Pterocallidae), Platystomatidae, Pyrgotidae, and Tephritidae. The phylogenetic relationships of the superfamily, including the ground plan characters and proofs of monophyly of the included families, were discussed by J. F. McAlpine (1976; 1977; 1981; 1989). There is some disagreement among contemporary taxonomists (e.g., Colless and McAlpine 1970; Griffiths 1972; J. F. McAlpine 1989) on the relationships of the families within the group. Among the problems unsolved by those authors, the relationships among the Tephritidae and allied families (Platystomatidae, Pyrgotidae, and Ulidiidae) have never been thoroughly analyzed.