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| Grypoctonus aureus, G. sagittatus, G. solarius & G. yongshani Zhou & Li, in Zhou, Yang et Li. 2025. |
Abstract
The genus Grypoctonus Speiser, 1928 (Diptera: Asilidae) is a fuzzy-looking assassin fly, and adults have only been observed in autumn and winter. Currently containing four described species, this genus is readily distinguished from other Chinese asilids by the presence of two r-m crossveins. Through integrative taxonomic analysis of over 200 specimens from multiple Chinese provinces, we combined morphological assessment with DNA barcoding and four species delimitation methods (ABGD, ASAP, mPTP, and GMYC). Four species are newly described: G. aureus sp. nov., G. sagittatus sp. nov., G. solarius sp. nov., and G. yongshani sp. nov. (the latter described solely from morphological examination of historical specimens). Genetic analyses revealed distinct barcoding gaps, with an interspecific distance of 1.38–7.07% versus an intraspecific distance of no more than 0.92%. We revised the generic diagnosis, provided a distribution map, and a revised key to all known species of Grypoctonus.
Keywords: DNA barcoding; integrated taxonomy; new species; assassin fly
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| Integrative species delimitation of Grypoctonus combining molecular and morphological evidence. ... |
Grypoctonus aureus Zhou & Li sp. nov.
Grypoctonus sagittatus Zhou & Li sp. nov.
Grypoctonus solarius Zhou & Li sp. nov.
Grypoctonus yongshani Zhou & Li sp. nov.
Haoyue Zhou, Ding Yang and Xuankun Li. 2025. Integrated Taxonomy Discovers Four New Species of Grypoctonus Speiser, 1928 (Diptera: Asilidae) from China. Insects. 16(7); 722. DOI: doi.org/10.3390/insects16070722 [15 July 2025]
Simple Summary: Grypoctonus is a fuzzy-looking asilid genus currently containing four valid species distributed across the Palaearctic and high-elevation Oriental–Palaearctic transition zones. We freshly collected over 200 Grypoctonus specimens from nine sites across China between September 2023 and November 2024 and generated 164 COI barcodes using a MinION sequencing pipeline. We applied four species delimitation methods (ABGD, ASAP, mPTP, GMYC) alongside morphological evidence. Our results corroborated four species, which we describe here as new to science. Pairwise genetic distances of DNA barcode analyses revealed clear barcoding gaps. We revise the generic diagnosis, provide a global distribution map, include all known species, and offer an updated key.
