A cladistic analysis of the family Tristiridae (Orthoptera, Acridoidea)

CIGLIANO, M.M.

CLADISTICS (PRINT)

WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC

Año: 1989 vol. 5 p. 379 - 393

0748-3007

A cladistic analysis of the endemic South American family Tristiridae was performed using 29 characters from external morphology and the genitalia. Polarity of characters was based on the outgroup comparison method. One most parsimonious cladogram of 54 steps was obtained, from which a classification of the family Tristiridac was constructed. The analysis of phylogenetic relationships showed that the different kinds of characters define taxa at different levels in the cladogram. Those rnostly from the phallic cornplex define suprageneric taxa while those from external morphology characterize genera. I t is hypothesized that in Tristiridae differentiation of the phallic complex preceded differentiation of external morphology and that characters from the phallic complex are more conservative than those from the external morphology.