Galileo foi identificado em D. buzzatii e classificado como transposon do tipo foldback devido às suas longas IRs (repetições invertidas), que capacitam o elemento a formar uma estrutura secundária que leva a quebras e rearranjos cromossômicos. Evidências indicam que Galileo foi responsável pela geração de três inversões naturais segregantes em populações de D. buzzatii. A descoberta de Galileo em seis das 12 espécies de Drosophila sequenciadas, incluindo a D. willistoni, através de um estudo in silico, foi promissora para a busca de agentes causadores de quebras e rearranjos cromossômicos nesta espécie, que é altamente polimórfica, e em espécies a ela relacionadas. Nesse contexto, o presente estudo foi o primeiro a caracterizar o transposon Galileo em populações naturais de espécies do grupo willistoni de Drosophila. Para a investigação da presença de Galileo foram construídos primers com base na sequência de Galileo encontrada no genoma da linhagem sequenciada (GdH4) de Drosophila willistoni, para amplificar um fragmento do domínio central do elemento, assim como da inferida transposase e de seu domínio THAP. Os fragmentos polimórficos foram clonados e sequenciados para posterior caracterização molecular. O alinhamento das sequências nucleotídicas e de aminoácidos foi obtido no software Muscle com posterior edição no Bio Edit e o programa Gene Doc foi utilizado na tradução das sequências. Foram investigadas as espécies Drosophila willistoni, D. tropicalis, D. equinoxialis, D. insularis e quatro das semiespécies de D. paulistorum (Amazônica, Andino-Brasileira, Interior e Orinocana) do subgrupo willistoni, e D. nebulosa, D. capricorni e D. fumipennis, subgrupo bocainensis, do grupo willistoni, pelas técnicas de PCR e Dot blot. Foi encontrada variabilidade intra e interespecífica no tamanho dos fragmentos amplificados de Galileo, sendo que todas as sequências analisadas são indicativas de cópias defectivas. Foram caracterizadas 22 variantes a partir das sequências obtidas, permitindo a construção de um dendrograma de acordo com a presença ou ausência das variantes no genoma de todas as espécies estudadas por meio do software NTSYSpc 2.1. Os dados resultaram em dois clados bem-definidos: (1) formado pelas quatro semiespécies de D. paulistorum e (2) pelas espécies crípticas D. tropicalis, D. insularis e D. equinoxialis. Drosophila willistoni do subgrupo willistoni, D. sucinea, D. nebulosa e D. capricorni do subgrupo bocainensis, apresentaram variantes exclusivas e, assim, formaram ramos independentes aos dois agrupamentos. Entre todas as espécies crípticas do subgrupo willistoni somente D. willistoni não compartilha qualquer uma das suas quatro variantes. O quadro que emerge de nossos achados é sugestivo de mais de um evento evolutivo, implicando tanto a manutenção por ancestralidade de certas variantes quanto a ocorrência de perdas estocásticas. Além disso, o fenômeno de introgressão, já bem-documentado dentro do subgrupo willistoni, pode ter sido o mecanismo pelo qual tenham sido transferidas sequências de Galileo entre alguns táxons estudados, principalmente entre algumas semiespécies de D. paulistorum. A singularidade de D. willistoni entre as crípticas quanto às diferentes sequências de Galileo em seu genoma, pode ser consequência da presença de elementos quiméricos, uma vez que foi observada a inserção secundária de outros elementos em Galileo de D. buzzatii. Considerando a peculiaridade de Galileo, como gerador de inversões cromossômicas em populações naturais de D. buzzatii, nossos resultados sugerem que Galileo também pode ter desempenhado um papel importante na evolução genômica no grupo willistoni de Drosophila, uma vez que D. willistoni e D. paulistorum apresentam muitos arranjos cromossômicos segregando em suas populações naturais. / Galileo was identified in Drosophila buzzatii and classified as a foldback-like transposon due to its long IRs (inverted repeats), which allow the element to form a secondary structure that leads to breaks and chromosomal rearrangements. Several evidences indicate that Galileo was responsible for the generation of three natural segregating inversions in populations of D. buzzatii. The finding of Galileo in six of the 12 species of Drosophila that were sequenced, including D. willistoni, through an in silico study, is promising for the search of agents that cause chromosomal breaks and rearrangements in this species, that is highly polymorphic, and in related species. Based on this context, this was the first work to characterize the Galileo transposon in natural populations of the willistoni group of Drosophila. To detect the presence of Galileo, we used primers based on the sequence of Galileo found in the genome of the sequenced lineage (GdH4) of Drosophila willistoni, so that a fragment of the central domain of the element is amplified, as well as the putative transposase and its THAP domains. The polymorphic fragments were cloned and sequenced for later molecular characterization. The alignment of the nucleotide sequences and amino acids was obtained in the Muscle software with later edition in the Bio Edit, and the Gene Doc program was used to translate the sequences. We investigated, by PCR and Dot blot, the following species: D. willistoni, D. tropicalis, D. equinoxialis, D. insularis and four semispecies of D. paulistorum (Amazonian, Andean-Brazilian, Interior and Orinocan) of the subgroup willistoni, besides D. nebulosa, D. capricorni and D. fumipennis, subgroup bocainensis, group willistoni. The size variability of the Galileo amplified fragments was intra and interspecific; all the analyzed sequences indicate defective copies. Twenty two variants were identified in the obtained sequences, allowing the construction of a dendrogram based in the presence or absence of the variants in the genomes of all the species studied through the NTSYSpc 2.1 software. The data produced two well-defined clades: (1) formed by the four semispecies of D. paulistorum and (2) by the sibling species D. tropicalis, D. insularis and D. equinoxialis. D. willistoni (subgroup willistoni), D. sucinea, D. nebulosa and D. capricorni (subgroup bocainensis) have exclusive variants of Galileo, forming two independent branches of the two clades. Among all the sibling species of the subgroup willistoni, only D. willistoni does not share any of its four variants. The results of our observations suggest more than one evolutionary event, indicating both the maintenance by ancestrality of some variants and the occurrence of stochastic loss. Besides, the introgression phenomenon, well-documented in the willistoni subgroup, may have been the mechanism through which the Galileo sequences were transferred between some taxons that were studied, specially between some semispecies of D. paulistorum. The uniqueness of D. willistoni among siblings, regarding the different Galileo sequences in its genome, can be a consequence of the presence of quimeric elements, since a secondary insertion of other elements in Galileo of D. buzzatii was observed. Taking into account the Galileo element singularities, as a generator of chromosomal inversions in natural populations of D. buzzati, our findings suggest that Galileo could also have played an important role in the genomic evolution of the Drosophila willistoni group, since D. willistoni and D. paulistorum have many chromosomal rearrangements segregating in their natural populations.

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This study was undertaken to determine the present status in Utah of the Dipterous family Phoridae, and to report which genera and species are found there. The work was done with the thought in mind of furthering the knowledae of this little-known family in Utah. In order to secure information about the family the writer studied entomological literature and specimens obtained from the entomological collections of the Brigham Young University and Utah State Agricultural College. Personal collecting in various areas of Utah was also done. During the study it was found that there were six genera and twenty-one species correctly identified from Utah. The six genera found were: (1) Phora, (2) Puliciphora, (3) Hypocera, (4) Borophaga, (5) Chaetoneurophora, and (6) Megaselia. Of these genera only two were found to contain more than two species, Phora with six and Megaselia with twelve. Puliciphora and Borophaga both contain two species each, while Chaetoneurophora has one. Hypocera actually has no species since the specimen reported to the writer was identified to the genus only. Megaselia is the only genus to have been reported in the literture, and two species of Megaselia are the only species which have been recorded. The remainder of genera and species, i. e. five genera and nineteen species are written in this study as new records for the state of Utah. Keys to the genera and species of phorida are included to enhance ease of identification. A list of specimens of incomplete and questionable identification is also included in the appendix to serve as a basis for further study.