title: Aedeagus morphology as a discriminant marker in two closely related cactophilic species of Drosophila (Diptera; Drosophilidae) in South America.
abstract: Drosophila serido and D. antonietae are sibling species belonging to the Drosophila buzzatii cluster. Morphologically, they can only be discriminated by quantitative traits. In this paper we analyze the length and equalized average curvature of four regions of the aedeagus of D. antonietae and D. serido. Specimens of D. serido and D. antonietae were classified correctly 96.74% of the time. Based only on the variable that most contributed to the discrimination of the groups (equalized average curvature of the arch IV of the aedeagus), we observed significant intraspecific morphological divergence in D. serido in relation to the D. antonietae, in agreement with other markers. The high morphological divergence in equalized average curvature of the arch IV of the aedeagus shows that this region evolved faster than others, since the divergence of the two species. The importance of the present study to the understanding of the genetic basis that controls the formation of the aedeagus, in the species of the Drosophila buzzatii cluster, is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Genética, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, 14049-900 Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Fernando F
authors.initials: FF
authors.lastname: Franco
authors.forename: Pedro R R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Prado
authors.forename: Fábio M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Sene
authors.forename: Luciano F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.forename: Maura H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Manfrin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D004330:Drosophila / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D008297:Male