Andrea Tothova

• MSc, PhD
• Masaryk University

Simple Summary The effective management and appreciation of protected natural areas requires a thorough understanding of the intricate animal communities that have developed over time. A central goal of this complex study is to identify the diverse species of animals, plants, and microorganisms that constitute this complex biological community. Thi...

The larva and puparium of Prosopochrysa vitripennis from northern Thailand are described. This is the first in-depth description of immature stages for the entire tribe Prosopochrysini (Diptera: Stratiomyidae: Stratiomyinae), which includes 65 extant species worldwide. The larvae of P. vitripennis are aquatic and develop in puddles that form in or...

Anthomyza gilviventris Roháček & Barber, 2016, hitherto known only from the Nearctic Region, is recorded from the Palaearctic Region (NE Sweden) for the first time. Specimens from the Swedish population have been compared with those of A. gilviventris from Canada and the USA and those of A. tschirnhausi Roháček, 2009 from the Kamchatka Peninsula (F...

The phylogeny of the subfamilies Sciophilinae and Leiinae (Diptera: Mycetophilidae) is reconstructed, based on three nuclear (18S, 28S, CAD) and three mitochondrial (16S, COI, Cytb) gene fragments. The analysis supports the monophyly of Sciophilinae in a strict sense, without the Paratinia Mik, 1874 genus group and genera Aneura Marshall, 1896 and...

Myrmecomorphy is the most frequent type of Batesian mimicry. Myrmecomorphic species differ in the accuracy with which they resemble ants, however, the hypothesis of the co-evolution of mimetic traits has been rarely tested. Here, we measured dozens of traits of colour, shape, size, and behaviour, and quantified objectively the resemblance between d...

Susamyia Ziegler & Gilasian gen. nov. and its type species Susamyia mira Ziegler & Gilasian gen. et sp. nov. are described from southwestern Karkheh National Park and southeastern Jazmourian Wetland of Iran. Drawings of terminalia and head of the male as well as images of habitus, head and egg are provided. Susamyia gen. nov. is incorporated into t...

The Socotra Archipelago (Yemen) is remarkable for unique ecosystems and high endemism, for which it is often referred to as the “Galápagos of the Indian Ocean”. Here we describe a new parasitic leech Myxobdella socotrensis sp. nov. from Socotra, the largest island of the archipelago. The new species was found in a freshwater spring attached to the...

A new species of Anthomyzidae (Diptera), viz., Mumetopia interfeles Roháček sp. nov. (both sexes), is described from Chile, based on a large series collected from a small grassy area (consisting of a non-native species, Hordeum murinum L.) among houses in the city of Valparaíso. Its systematic affiliation, phylogenetic relationships, and biology ar...

The evolutionary history of prey specialisation differs among spider species, particularly among active wandering species which have evolved a variety of prey-capture tactics. Here, we conducted a comparative analysis of prey specialisation and prey capture behaviour in Gnaphosidae. We used nine species each representing a different genus and inves...

Phylogenetic hypotheses of the relationships of Diptera: Anthomyzidae (61 taxa) are discussed with special reference to the genera Fungomyza Roháček, 1999, Anthomyza Fallén, 1810, Epischnomyia Roháček, 2006 and Arganthomyza Roháček, 2009 based on the analysis of 7 combined mitochondrial + nuclear gene markers in comparison with results of the most...

The phylogeny of the fungus gnat tribe Exechiini (Diptera: Mycetophilidae) is reconstructed based on the combined analysis of five nuclear (18S, two parts of 28S, CAD, EF1α) and two mitochondrial (12S, COI) gene markers. According to known fossil record, and recent higher‐level phylogenies, the tribe constitutes the most apomorphic, distinctly mono...

The phylogeny of the fungus gnat family Mycetophilidae (Diptera) is reconstructed with a focus on the species‐rich and taxonomically difficult subfamilies Gnoristinae and Mycomyinae. The multigene phylogenetic analyses are based on five nuclear (18S, 28S, CAD, MCS, ITS2) and four mitochondrial (12S, 16S, COI, CytB) gene markers. The analyses strong...

Aim The European velvety tree ant (Liometopum microcephalum), forming large colonies defending territories, has specific habitat requirements and occurs in isolated populations irregularly distributed across its range. Its dispersal is slow and colony numbers have been declining in many areas. We aim to assess the origin of populations across the s...

The molecular phylogeny of flat-footed flies is inferred from analysis of DNA sequence data from the five mitochondrial genes 12S, 16S, COI, COII and CytB, and the nuclear gene 28S and discussed with the recent systematics based on morphological features. The Bayesian inference, maximum likelihood and maximum parsimony analyses included 42 species...

The phylogeny of the insect infraorder Bibionomorpha (Diptera) is reconstructed based on the combined analysis of three nuclear (18S, 28S, CAD) and three mitochondrial (12S, 16S, COI) gene markers. All the analyses strongly support the monophyly of Bibionomorpha in both the narrow (sensu stricto) and the broader (sensu lato) concepts. The major lin...

This is the first description of larva and puparium of Oplodontha rubrithorax (Macquart, 1838) from the Oriental Region. Larvae were found at a hot spring in North Thailand. The morphological features and cuticular structures of the larva are documented by drawings and SEM micrographs and the main characters are compared with the European O. viridu...

A hypothesis of phylogenetic relationships of mainly Holarctic Anthomyzidae based on multigene analysis of combined mitochondrial + nuclear gene markers is compared with those of previously published cladistic analyses of morphological characters with the aim to elucidate affinities of phylogenetically unsettled taxa. The placement of Fungomyza Roh...

The molecular phylogeny of the family Diadocidiidae (Diptera: Sciaroidea) is reconstructed based on the combined analysis of four mitochondrial (12S, 16S, COI, cytB) and two nuclear (28S, ITS2) gene markers. All the analyses strongly support Diadocidiidae as a monophyletic group. Genus Diadocidia Ruthe, 1831 includes monophyletic subgenera Diadocid...

Molecular phylogenetic and traditional morphometric methods were applied to examine six Palaearctic taxa of the taxonomically difficult tachinid fly genus Dinera Robineau-Desvoidy (Diptera: Tachinidae), with particular reference to D. carinifrons (Fallén) and D. fuscata Zhang and Shima. Results of a phylogenetic analysis based on the mitochondrial...

The phylogeny of selected genera from four subfamilies of fungus gnats (Diptera: Mycetophilidae) – Manotinae, Leiinae, Sciophilinae and Gnoristinae (including Metanepsiini) – is reconstructed based on the combined analysis of five mitochondrial (12S, 16S, COI, COII, cytB) and two nuclear (28S, ITS2) gene markers. Results of the different analyses a...

Sciomyzidae is a family of acalyptrate flies with 546 species in 61 genera that is among the most extensively studied groups of higher Diptera. Most of the known larvae are obligate enemies of Gastropoda. Hundreds of studies published over the past 50 years have resulted in detailed information concerning morphology of adults and immature stages, b...

Two new species of the subgenus Atrichopogon (Meloehelea) from Patagonia, Atrichopogon (M.) macrodentatum from the Nothofagus forests, and A. (M.) monomorphicus from steppe areas in the ecotone with forests, are described and a key of the Patagonian species of the subgenus is provided.

Artificial neural networks (ANN) methodology, molecular analyses and comparative morphology of the male postabdomen were used successfully in parallel for species identification and resolution of some taxonomic problems concerning West Palaearctic species of the genus Tachina Meigen, 1803. Supervised feed-forward ANN with back-propagation of errors...

The male postabdominal structures of the West Palaearctic species of the genus Tachina are described. A new identification key is given. Characters are illustrated by original pen drawings and deep focus micrographs, some of them for the first time. The results are documented by molecular analyses (based on CO°I, Cyt°b, 12S, and 16S rDNA). This app...

The phylogenetic Bayesian analysis of combined mitochondrial 12S and 16S rRNA gene markers in European representatives of Anthomyzidae supported the monophyly of the family, confirmed the validity of the genera and provided a resolution of the generic affiliation of some aberrant species. The interrelationships of most genera have not been resolved...

A new species of Ceratopogonidae from Canada, Atrichopogon (Meloehelea) ladislavi Tóthová, is described. The Patagonian species Atrichopogon (M.) chilensis Ingram & Macfie is restored from synonymy, its female is redescribed and the male is described for the first time.

The genus Neurohelea at the moment includes a single species Neurohelea luteitarsis Waltl. Czech Republic is the fifth European territory where this rare monotypic species has been reported from. In addition to the typical genus- and species characteristics described in the previous studies, we observed three fully developed spermathecae, eversible...

The diverse biting midge genus, Atrichopogon Kieffer, contains 476 species worldwide (Borkent & Picado 2004). The subgenus Meloehelea Wirth includes ectoparasitic species that feed on the haemolymph of blister beetles (Meloidae) and other related coleopteran families. There are 16 species of this subgenus, 10 of which occur in the Palaearctic, 3 in...

The classification of Meloehelea (Ceratopogonidae) species is based on morphological characters. The taxonomic revision of generally well-known species recovered interesting facts on possible geographic intraspecific variability or on the presence of an additional valid species. In this study, 5 European species and 2 species from the U.S.A. and Ca...

The following six species of the subgenus Meloehelea WIRTH of Atrichopogon KIEFFER are recognised in Europe: A. atriscapulus KIEFFER , 1918; A. orbicularis KIEFFER , 1919; A. oedemerarum STORÅ , 1939; A. lucorum (MEIGEN , 1818); A. meloesugans KIEFFER , 1922; A. winnertzi GOETGHEBUER , 1922. They are diagnosed, interpreted, illustrated and placed i...

Car nets were used to collect two samples on a forest road in Podyjí National park, the Braitava forest, Czech Republic. Sampling was done in 2002 between May 31 and June 1, and between July 30 and 31. These consisted of 10 rounds (each 10 km in length) from morning to dusk. Over 3,000 specimens (52 species) of Ceratopogonidae were captured. The re...