PHYLOGENETIC ANALYSES OF A BLACKFLY SUBGENUS SIMULIUM (NEVERMANNIA) BASED ON MITOCHONDRIAL 16S RIBOSOMAL RNA GENE SEQUENCES

Nucleotide sequences of a subregion of the mitochondrial 16S ribosomal RNA gene of 10 species of a blackfly subgenus Simulium (Nevermannia), which include four species of feuerborni species-group, two species of ruficorne species-group, three species of vernum species-group and an ungrouped species (S. konoi), were de- termined. Phylogenetic analyses of the sequences of the Nevermannia species and other species of related subgen- era of Simulium s.l. showed that the feuerborni and vernum species-groups were closely related, but the ruficorne species-group and S. konoi were not. Variations between the ruficorne species-group and other Nevermannia spe- cies were larger than those between Nevermannia species (excluding the ruficorne species-group) and other sub- genera species. These molecular data suggest that revision of the definition of the subgenus Nevermannia is needed.