Taxonomy and systematics of the American bristle fly genus Xanthophyto Townsend (Diptera: Tachinidae)

Xanthophyto is a small and poorly known genus of New World Tachinidae formerly known from four described species, two Nearctic and two Neotropical. Members of the genus resemble flesh flies (Sarcophagidae) in appearance, often with the abdominal tip reddish in color. They are parasitoids of various families of caterpillars, often concealed feeders. Here I present the results of my efforts to taxonomically revise the genus Xanthophyto and delimit and describe new species based on multiple sources of evidence including external morphology, mtDNA sequence data, geographic distributions, and host associations. This work has culminated in the recognition of 14 Nearctic species (12 newly described) and 37 Neotropical species (33 newly described) belonging to the genus, representing an order of magnitude increase in the number of known species. I provide an overview of the genus, relationships among taxa, patterns of morphological evolution, and ecological/biogeographical patterns. Implications for broader patterns of bristle fly diversity are discussed.