North-South Differentiation of Black Flies in the Western Cordillera of North America: A New Species of Prosimulium (Diptera: Simuliidae)

Glaciation has been a powerful determiner of species distributions and the genetic structure of populations. Contemporary distributions of many organisms in North America's Western Cordillera reflect the influence of Pleistocene glaciation. We identified a pattern of north-south differentiation in the genus Prosimulium of western North America, which reflects the separation of northern and southern populations by the North American Ice Sheet during the Pleistocene Epoch. The taxonomic implication is that new species exist within nominal species, requiring formal description or revalidation of names currently in synonymy. We morphologically and cytogenetically examined populations of one nominal species of black fly, Prosimulium esselbaughi Sommerman, over its known range from Alaska south to California and Colorado. Chromosomal and morphological evidence supports the presence of two species, P. esselbaughi sensu stricto from Alaska to at least southern British Columbia, and a new species, Prosimulium supernum in the central Rocky Mountains and high Sierra Nevada range of the United States. The new species is described in all life stages above the egg, along with its polytene chromosomes. The existence of differentiated populations of other nominal species of black flies in northern and southern North America provides a system for investigating possible co-differentiation of vectors and parasites.

Automated summary

Glaciation plays a significant role in species distributions and genetic structure. The current distributions of many organisms in North America's Western Cordillera are influenced by Pleistocene glaciation. Through our study on the genus Prosimulium in western North America, we found a north-south differentiation pattern, indicating the separation of populations by the North American Ice Sheet during the Pleistocene Epoch. This discovery suggests the existence of new species within nominal species, requiring formal description or revalidation of currently synonymous names.