Reclustering the cluster flies (Diptera: Oestroidea, Polleniidae)

A phylogenetic analysis of selected oestroid taxa based on 66 morphological traits and sequences from three nuclear protein-coding genes (CAD, MAC, MCS) resolved the composition and phylogenetic position of the former subfamily Polleniinae of the Calliphoridae – here resurrected at family rank as Polleniidae Brauer & Bergenstamm, 1889 stat. rev. Six species are transferred from the family Rhinophoridae to the Polleniidae: the Palaearctic genus Alvamaja Rognes, along with its single species Alvamaja chlorometallica Rognes, and five Afrotropical species comprising the carinata-group formerly in the genus Phyto Robineau-Desvoidy but here assigned to genus Morinia Robineau-Desvoidy, i.e. M. carinata (Pape, 1987) comb.n., M. lactineala (Pape, 1997) comb.n., M. longirostris (Crosskey, 1977) comb.n., M. royi (Pape, 1997) comb.n. and M. stuckenbergi (Crosskey, 1977) comb.n. The Polleniidae are monophyletic and, in agreement with most recent phylogenetic reconstructions, sister to the Tachinidae. The female of A. chlorometallica and a new species of Morinia of the carinata-group (Morinia tsitsikamma sp.n. from South Africa) are described.