Taxonomic problems in the subgenus Meloehelea Wirth of the genus Atrichopogon Kieffer (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) inferred from both morphological and molecular characters

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 Canada have been compared based on their morphological characters. Subsequently, the 16S rDNA sequences analyses of well known European species have been performed to confirm the characters mentioned in the determination key of this subgenus. Although, this study was limited by the number of examined non-European specimens, it provides some interesting facts on the possible morphological variability of well-known species and also an initial phylogenetic backbone for the progressive reconstruction of infrageneric relationships within the genus Atrichopogon.