D. K. Yeates and B. M. Wiegmann, eds.
Columbia University Press, New York, 2005
430 pp., hardcover, $89.50
ISBN 0-231-12700-6

I often remark to students and colleagues that the Diptera are structurally and ecologically the most diverse and interesting group of insects. Although these proclamations sometimes lead to chuckling among students, grumbling among colleagues (mostly coleopterists and hymenopterists), and the occasional accusation of taxonomic bias, my remarks have prompted few serious debates. Regrettably, that famous British population geneticist, J.B.S. Haldane, when asked what one could conclude about the Creator from a study of biology, did not reply "an inordinate fondness for flies" [a clearly more euphonious statement]. Alliterations aside, the Diptera are arguably one of the most familiar, abundant, and important groups of insects. This diverse taxon, containing approximately 150 families and 150,000 described species, includes mosquitoes, black flies, midges, fruit flies, house flies, and many other well-known insects. These insects are diverse in species richness, structural variety, feeding habits, and economic importance. They have successfully colonized all continents and nearly every habitat, including torrential streams, thermal springs, soil, wood, fruit, decaying organic material, the tissues of living organisms, and even pools of crude petroleum. Furthermore, flies have been at the center of research in genomics, developmental biology, phylogenetic systematics, and biogeography.

The significance of Diptera in many fields was a major impetus behind The Evolutionary Biology of Flies, edited by David Yeates and Brian Wiegmann. Recent advances in molecular biology and phylogenetic analyses, and the prominent role of Diptera in these disciplines, have enhanced further the general interest in flies and their role as model taxon. According to Yeates and Wiegmann, this "renaissance [has been] fueled by two important scientific innovations: the explosion of genetic information arising from dipteran genomics and developmental biology, and improved phylogeny estimation that relies on large amounts of new molecular data and quantitative, statistical analytical methods." The editors, perhaps best known for their work in Diptera phylogenetics, have assembled a diverse group of evolutionary biologists, each a respected authority in their subdiscipline, yet all known for their comparative and evolutionary approach to fly biology. The Evolutionary Biology of Flies is divided into three major sections: 1) Phylogeny; 2) Genomics and Developmental Biology; and 3) Evolutionary Ecology and Biogeography. Each chapter provides up-to-date reviews of various subdisciplines and, in most cases, a prospectus of where these fields will be in the years to come.

Phylogeny. The shortest section (62 pages) begins with Whiting's overview of the relationships of Diptera and potential outgroups, focusing on the "fly-flea," "fly-scorpionfly," "fly-nannochoristid," and "fly-strepsipteran" hypotheses. For many of the same reasons discussed in previous work (e.g., Whiting et al. 1997, Wheeler et al. 2001, Whiting 2002), Whiting discounts the first of these hypotheses, discusses problems with the second hypothesis (i.e., probable paraphyly of Mecoptera and uncertain position of the Nannochoristidae), and supports most strongly the "fly-strepsipteran" alternative. Although the topic remains contentious, the chapter gives a good overview of the primary issues under debate. The next chapter, by Yeates and Wiegmann, provides a nice update of their earlier review (Yeates and Wiegmann 1999), with the significant addition of a supertree analysis. The chapter also synthesizes considerable new data pertaining especially to the relationships of the lower Brachycera. Finally, the chapter by Meier gives an interesting synopsis of Willi Hennig's life and impact on both dipterology and phylogenetics. Considered by most to be the father of modern phylogenetic systematics (i.e., cladistics), Hennig was primarily a dipterist. I commend the editors for prominent inclusion of this largely biographical chapter in a book otherwise focused on dipterology.

Genomics and Developmental Biology. Although not the longest section of the book (150 pages), the included chapters summarize what may be the greatest amount of literature. Dipterans are arguably the paradigm organisms in genetics and developmental biology, so it is not surprising that several chapters are devoted to these fields. Perhaps as expected, the focal taxon for most chapters is Drosophila. Despite being the longest chapter in the book (>60 pages), the contribution by Ashburner provides a concise overview of the history of genetic/genomics research on Drosophila and Anopheles gambiae. For readers who have been unable to follow the burgeoning literature on this field, the chapter includes a good introduction to such topics as chromosome numbers, microstructure, gene and genome organization, sex determination, mitochondrial genomes, evolution of genes and genomes, and polytene chromosomes. Subsequent chapters by DeSalle, Kidwell, Merritt, and Davies and Roderick expand upon these and other aspects of the evolutionary biology of flies. Although focused on Drosophila, authors attempt to review and synthesize the current state of genomic and developmental biology of all Diptera.

Evolutionary Ecology and Biogeography. The longest part of the book (200 pages), this section suffers to some extent from the breadth of topics, which ranges from paleoecology to reproductive habits and ecological genetics. Despite the somewhat disparate themes, the included chapters contain good summaries and much useful information. Chapters by Labandeira and Cranston delve into largely historical issues, focusing, respectively, on feeding habits/plant associations and biogeographical patterns of Diptera through time. Wilkinson and Johns provide an excellent review of swarming, mating, and copulation in Diptera. I especially appreciate their inclusion of the range of unusual habits demonstrated by flies (even though they failed to mention one of the most aberrant taxa with respect to reproductive habits, the Nymphomyiidae). Filchak, Etges, Besansky, and Feder provide a nice overview of the ecological genetics of host use, again focusing on model systems (e.g., various species of Drosophila and Anopheles, and Tephritidae). Scheffer's chapter on invasive Diptera draws attention to the utility of molecular markers for determining geographic origin and pathways of spread, focusing on her own studies of agromyzids and various studies of mosquitoes, drosophilids, and Mediterranean fruit flies. The final chapter in this section, by Kitching, Bickel, and Boulter, presents a wealth of original data on guilds of dipteran assemblages. Although some data are presented and discussed elsewhere (Kitching et al. 2004), their chapter provides some novel interpretations on fly communities in tropical and subtropical forests.

In summary, The Evolutionary Biology of Flies is an excellent review of both dipterology and the impact of the Diptera on phylogenetics, genomics, evolutionary development, and other fields. By synthesizing a diversity of topics, the editors provide a mechanism through which scientists in disparate fields can gain an appreciation of work being done across all of "fly science." As such, The Evolutionary Biology of Flies should be required reading for not only researchers who already call themselves "dipterists" but also those who use flies as an experimental or model organism.

References
Kitching R. L, Bickel D, Creagh A. C, Hurley K, Symonds C. The biodiversity of Diptera in Old World rain forest surveys: a comparative faunistic analysis. J. Biogeogr. 2004, 31:1185-1200.

Wheeler W. C, Whiting M. F, Wheeler Q. D, Carpenter J. C. The phylogeny of extant insect orders. Cladistics 2001, 17:113-169.

Whiting M. F, Carpenter J. C, Wheeler Q. D, Wheeler W. C. The Strepsiptera problem: phylogeny of the holometabolous insect orders inferred from 18S and 28S ribosomal DNA sequences and morphology. Syst. Biol. 1997, 46:1-68.

Whiting M. F. Phylogeny of the holometabolous insect orders: molecular evidence. Zool. Scr. 2002, 31:93-104.

Yeates D. K, Wiegmann B. M. Congruence and controversy: toward a higher-level classification of Diptera. Annu. Rev. Entomol. 1999, 44:397-428.

Gregory W. Courtney
Department of Entomology
Iowa State University
Ames, IA 50011
E-mail: gwcourt@iastate.edu

Annals of Entomological Society of America
Vol. 100, No. 1, January 2007, Page 91-92