Torsten Dikow

• M.S., Universitaet Rostock, Germany
• Ph.D., Cornell University

Deciphering the diversity and evolutionary history of Asiloidea flies.

Phylogenetic relationships of asiloid flies (Apioceridae - apiocerid flies, Asilidae - assassin flies, robber flies, Mydidae - mydas flies) and Diptera in general using morphological and genomic evidence. Revisionary taxonomy applying cybertaxonomic tools for open-access distribution of primary biodiversity data. Application of specimen occurrence data to biodiversity studies.

Asiloid Flies research web-site - asiloidflies.si.edu .

Dataset

• Dikow, Torsten, editor. 2024. [Dataset] Flies, deserts, & biodiversity data.
• Dikow, Torsten. 2024. [Dataset] Assassin flies of the central Namib Desert at the Gobabeb Namib Research Institute, Namibia. Distributed by National Museum of Natural History. https://doi.org/10.25573/DATA.27147402.V2.
• Dikow, Torsten. 2024. [Dataset] Mydas flies of the central Namib Desert at the Gobabeb Namib Research Institute, Namibia. Distributed by National Museum of Natural History. https://doi.org/10.25573/DATA.27157551.V1.
• Dikow, Torsten. 2019. [Dataset] Occurrence data of Laphyctis (Diptera: Asiloidea: Asilidae). Distributed by National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution through GBIF. https://doi.org/10.15468/mgzpdj.
• Dikow, Torsten. 2018. [Dataset] Occurrence data of Prytanomyia (Diptera: Asiloidea: Asilidae). https://doi.org/10.15468/mgzpdj.
• Dikow, Torsten. 2018. [Dataset] Occurrence data of Plyomydas (Diptera: Asiloidea: Mydidae). https://doi.org/10.15468/tiymja.
• Dikow, Torsten. 2017. [Dataset] Occurrence data of Prytanomyia (Diptera: Asiloidea: Asilidae). Distributed by GBIF. https://doi.org/10.15468/rufrte.
• Dikow, Torsten. 2016. [Dataset] Occurrence data of Afrotropical Mydidae (Insecta: Diptera: Asiloidea). Distributed by National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution. https://doi.org/10.15468/alx74c.
• Dikow, Torsten. 2015. [Dataset] Occurrence data of Anasillomos (Diptera: Asiloidea: Asilidae). https://doi.org/10.3897/bdj.3.e4652.
• Dikow, Torsten. 2013. [Dataset] Occurrence data of Namadytes (Diptera: Asiloidea: Mydidae). https://doi.org/10.15468/aycaza.

Journal Article

• Dikow, Rebecca B., Ekwealor, Jenna T. B., Mattingly, William J. B., Trizna, Michael G., Harmon, Elizabeth, Dikow, Torsten, Arias, Carlos F., Hodel, Richard G. J., Spillane, Jennifer, Tsuchiya, Mirian T. N., Villanueva, Luis, White, Alexander E., Bursell, Madeline G., Curry, Tiana, Inema, Christelle, and Geronimo-Anctil, Kayla. 2023. "Let the Records Show: Attribution of Scientific Credit in Natural History Collections." International journal of plant sciences, 184, (5) 392–404. https://doi.org/10.1086/724949.
• Dubus, Meliah and Dikow, Torsten. 2023. "A review of the assassin-fly genus Anypodetus Hermann, 1907 with the description of a new species (Insecta, Diptera, Asilidae)." African Invertebrates, 64, (2) 165–206. https://doi.org/10.3897/afrinvertebr.64.104283.
• Midgley, John and Dikow, Torsten. 2023. "Jason G. H. Londt: A giant of South African entomology." African Invertebrates, 64, (2) 13–40. https://doi.org/10.3897/AfrInvertebr.64.105050.
• Santos, Bernardo F., Miller, Meredith E., Miklasevskaja, Margarita, McKeown, Jaclyn T. A., Redmond, Niamh E., Coddington, Jonathan A., Bird, Jessica, Miller, Scott E., Smith, Ashton, Brady, Sean G., Buffington, Matthew L., Chamorro, M. Lourdes, Dikow, Torsten, Gates, Michael W., Goldstein, Paul, Konstantinov, Alexander, Kula, Robert, Silverson, Nicholas D., Solis, M. Alma, de Waard, Stephanie L., Naik, Suresh, Nikolova, Nadya, Pentinsaari, Mikko, Prosser, Sean W. J., Sones, Jayme E. et al. 2023. "Enhancing DNA barcode reference libraries by harvesting terrestrial arthropods at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History." Biodiversity Data Journal, 11. https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.11.e100904.
• Levesque-Beaudin, Valerie, Miller, Meredith, Dikow, Torsten, Miller, Scott E., Prosser, Sean, Zakharov, Evgeny, McKeown, Jaclyn, Sones, Jayme, Redmond, Niamh, Coddington, Jonathan, Santos, Bernardo, Bird, Jessica, and deWaard, Jeremy. 2023. "A workflow for expanding DNA barcode reference libraries through 'museum harvesting' of natural history collections." Biodiversity Data Journal, 11. https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.11.e100677.
• Boschert, Claire and Dikow, Torsten. 2022. "Taxonomic revision of the mydas-fly genera Eremohaplomydas Bequaert, 1959, Haplomydas Bezzi, 1924, and Lachnocorynus Hesse, 1969 (Insecta, Diptera, Mydidae)." African Invertebrates, 63, (1) 19–75. https://doi.org/10.3897/afrinvertebr.63.76309.
• Kawahara, Akito Y., Storer, Caroline G., Markee, Amanda, Heckenhauer, Jacqueline, Powell, Ashlyn, Plotkin, David, Hotaling, Scott, Cleland, Timothy P., Dikow, Rebecca B., Dikow, Torsten, Kuranishi, Ryoichi B., Messcher, Rebeccah, Pauls, Steffen U., Stewart, Russell J., Tojo, Koji, and Frandsen, Paul B. 2022. "Long-read HiFi sequencing correctly assembles repetitive heavy fibroin silk genes in new moth and caddisfly genomes." Gigabyte, 2022 1–14. https://doi.org/10.46471/gigabyte.64.
• Li, Xuankun, Ellis, Emily, Plotkin, David, Imada, Yume, Yago, Masaya, Heckenhauer, Jacqueline, Cleland, Timothy P., Dikow, Rebecca B., Dikow, Torsten, Storer, Caroline G., Kawahara, Akito Y., and Frandsen, Paul B. 2021. "First annotated genome of a mandibulate moth, Neomicropteryx cornuta , generated using PacBio HiFi sequencing." Genome Biology and Evolution, 13, (10). https://doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evab229.
• Buenaventura, Eliana, Lloyd, Michael W., Perilla Lopez, Juan Manuel, González, Vanessa L., Thomas-Cabianca, Arianna, and Dikow, Torsten. 2020. "Protein-encoding ultraconserved elements provide a new phylogenomic perspective of Oestroidea flies (Diptera: Calyptratae)." Systematic Entomology, https://doi.org/10.1111/syen.12443.
• Greenwalt, Dale, Bickel, Daniel, Kerr, Peter, Curler, Gregory, Brown, Brian, de Jong, Herman, Fitzgerald, Scott, Dikow, Torsten, Tkoč, Michal, Kehlmaier, Christian, and Amorim, Dalton De Souza. 2019. "Diptera of the middle Eocene Kishenehn Formation. I. Documentation of diversity at the family level." Palaeontologia Electronica, 22.2.50. https://doi.org/10.26879/891.
• Londt, Jason G. H. and Dikow, Torsten. 2019. "A review of Southern African Choerades Walker, 1851 with the description of a new species (Diptera, Asilidae, Laphriinae)." African Invertebrates, 60, (1) 31–65. https://doi.org/10.3897/AfrInvertebr.60.30943.
• Vieira, Rodrigo, Camargo, Alexssandro, Pollet, Marc, and Dikow, Torsten. 2019. "Updated checklist of French Guianan Asilidae (Diptera) with a focus on the Mitaraka expedition." Zoosystema, 40 443–464. https://doi.org/10.5252/zoosystema2019v41a23.
• Londt, Jason G. H. and Dikow, Torsten. 2018. "A review of the assassin-fly genus Laphyctis Loew, 1858 with descriptions of two new species (Diptera, Asilidae, Laphriinae)." African Invertebrates, 59, (1) 75–106. https://doi.org/10.3897/AfrInvertebr.59.25022.
• Markee, Amanda and Dikow, Torsten. 2018. "Taxonomic revision of the assassin-fly genus Microphontes Londt, 1994 (Insecta, Diptera, Asilidae)." African Invertebrates, 59, (2) 195–237. https://doi.org/10.3897/afrinvertebr.59.30684.
• Shin, Seunggwan, Bayless, Keith M., Winterton, Shaun L., Dikow, Torsten, Lessard, Bryan D., Yeates, David K., Wiegmann, Brian M., and Trautwein, Michelle D. 2018. "Taxon sampling to address an ancient rapid radiation: a supermatrix phylogeny of early brachyceran flies (Diptera): Diptera evolution and supermatrix." Systematic Entomology, 43 277–289. https://doi.org/10.1111/syen.12275.
• Short, Andrew Edward Z., Dikow, Torsten, and Moreau, Corrie S. 2018. "Entomological Collections in the Age of Big Data." Annual Review of Entomology, 63 513–530. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-ento-031616-035536.
• Castillo, Stephanie and Dikow, Torsten. 2017. "Taxonomic revision of Plyomydas Wilcox & Papavero, 1971 with the description of two new species and its transfer to Mydinae (Insecta: Diptera: Mydidae)." Revista Brasileira de Entomologia, 61, (2) 192–202. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rbe.2017.03.002.
• Dikow, Rebecca B., Frandsen, Paul B., Turcatel, Mauren, and Dikow, Torsten. 2017. "Genomic and transcriptomic resources for assassin flies including the complete genome sequence of Proctacanthus coquilletti (Insecta: Diptera: Asilidae) and 16 representative transcriptomes." PeerJ, 5 e2951. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.2951.
• Londt, Jason G. H. and Dikow, Torsten. 2017. "A revision of the Afrotropical genus Prytanomyia Özdikmen, 2006 (Asilidae, Laphriinae)." African Invertebrates, 58(2) 39–52. https://doi.org/10.3897/AfrInvertebr.58.13294.
• Londt, Jason G. H. and Dikow, Torsten. 2016. "A review of the genus Trichoura Londt, 1994 with the description of a new species from the Northern Cape Province of South Africa and a key to world Willistonininae (Diptera, Asilidae)." African Invertebrates, 57, (2) 119–135. https://doi.org/10.3897/AfrInvertebr.57.10772.
• Dikow, Torsten. 2015. "Review of Anasillomos Londt, 1983 with the description of a new species (Insecta: Diptera: Asilidae)." Biodiversity Data Journal, 3. https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.3.e4652.
• Dikow, Torsten and Agosti, Donat. 2015. "Utilizing online resources for taxonomy: a cybercatalog of Afrotropical apiocerid flies (Insecta: Diptera: Apioceridae)." Biodiversity Data Journal, 3 e5707. https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.3.e5707.
• Pape, Thomas, Beuk, Paul, Pont, Adrian, Shatalkin, Anatole, Ozerov, Andrey, Woznica, Andrzej, Merz, Bernhard, Bystrowski, Cezary, Raper, Chris, Bergström, Christer, Kehlmaier, Christian, Clements, David, Greathead, David, Kameneva, Elena, Nartshuk, Emilia, Petersen, Frederik, Weber, Gisela, Bächli, Gerhard, Geller-Grimm, Fritz, Van de Weyer, Guy, Tschorsnig, Hans-Peter, de Jong, Herman, van Zuijlen, Jan-Willem, Vanhara, Jaromír, Rohácek, Jindrich et al. 2015. "Fauna Europaea: Diptera - Brachycera." Biodiversity Data Journal, 3. https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.3.e4187.
• Dikow, Torsten and Grimaldi, David A. 2014. "Robber Flies in Cretaceous Ambers (Insecta: Diptera: Asilidae)." American Museum Novitates, (3799) 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1206/3799.1.
• Dikow, Torsten and Leon, Stephanie. 2014. "Review of the genus Namadytes Hesse, 1969 (Insecta: Diptera: Mydidae: Syllegomydinae)." Biodiversity Data Journal, 2 e1071. https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.2.e1071.
• Smith, Vincent, Georgiev, Teodor, Stoev, Pavel, Biserkov, Jordan, Miller, Jeremy, Livermore, Laurence, Baker, Edward, Mietchen, Daniel, Couvreur, Thomas L. P., Mueller, Gregory, Dikow, Torsten, Helgen, Kristofer M., Frank, Jiri, Agosti, Donat, Roberts, David, and Penev, Lyubomir. 2013. "Beyond dead trees: integrating the scientific process in the Biodiversity Data Journal." Biodiversity Data Journal, 1 e995. https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.1.e995.
• Dikow, Torsten. 2012. "Review of Namibimydas Hesse, 1972 and Nothomydas Hesse, 1969 (Diptera : Mydidae: Syllegomydinae: Halterorchini) with the description of new species." African Invertebrates, 53, (1) 79–111. https://doi.org/10.5733/afin.053.0105.
• Miller, Jeremy, Dikow, Torsten, Agosti, Donat, Sautter, Guido, Catapano, Terry, Penev, Lyubomir, Zhang, Zhi-Qiang, Pentcheff, Dean, Pyle, Richard, Blum, Stan, Parr, Cynthia Sims, Freeland, Chris, Garnett, Tom, Ford, Linda, Muller, Burgert, Smith, Leo, Strader, Ginger, Georgiev, Teodor, and Bénichou, Laurence. 2012. "From taxonomic literature to cybertaxonomic content." BMC Biology, 10 87. https://doi.org/10.1186/1741-7007-10-87.
• Dikow, Torsten. 2010. "New species and new records of Mydidae from the Afrotropical and Oriental regions (Insecta, Diptera, Asiloidea)." ZooKeys, (64) 33–75. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.64.464.
• Lyons, Kathleen M. and Dikow, Torsten. 2010. "Taxonomic revision of Ectyphus Gerstaecker, 1868 and Parectyphus Hesse, 1972 with a key to world Ectyphinae (Insecta, Diptera, Mydidae)." ZooKeys, (73) 25–59. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.73.840.
• Dikow, Torsten. 2009. "A phylogenetic hypothesis for Asilidae based on a total evidence analysis of morphological and DNA sequence data (Insecta: Diptera: Brachycera: Asiloidea)." Organisms, Diversity & Evolution, 9, (3) 165–188. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ode.2009.02.004.
• Dikow, Torsten. 2009. "Phylogeny of Asilidae inferred from morphological characters of imagines (Insecta: Diptera: Brachycera: Asiloidea)." Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, (319) 1–175. https://doi.org/10.1206/603.1.
• Dikow, Torsten and Bayless, Keith M. 2009. "Taxonomic revision of the genus Schildia Aldrich, 1923 (Diptera: Asilidae: Leptogastrinae) with the description of new extant and extinct species." Insect Systematics & Evolution, 40, (3) 253–289. https://doi.org/10.1163/187631209X458358.
• Dikow, Torsten. 2007. "Taxonomic revision of the genus Lasiocnemus (Loew, 1851) (Diptera: Asilidae: Leptogastrinae)." African Entomology, 15, (1) 57–74. https://doi.org/10.4001/1021-3589-15.1.57.
• Meier, Rudolf and Dikow, Torsten. 2004. "Significance of Specimen Databases from Taxonomic Revisions for Estimating and Mapping the Global Species Diversity of Invertebrates and Repatriating Reliable Specimen Data." Conservation Biology, 18, (2) 478–488. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2004.00233.x.
• Dikow, Torsten. 2003. "Revision of the genus Euscelidia Westwood , 1850 (Diptera: Asilidae: Leptogastrinae)." African Invertebrates, 44, (2) 1–131. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.32467.
• Dikow, Torsten. 2003. "Family-group names in the Asilidae (Diptera)." Studia dipterologica, 10, (2) 459–471.
• Geller-Grimm, Fritz, Dikow, Torsten, and Niehuis, M. 2003. "Raubfliegen vom Roßstein bei Dörscheid (Mittelrheintal, Rheinland-Pfalz) nebst Anmerkungen zur Verbreitung in Rheinland-Pfalz (Diptera: Asilidae)." Fauna und Flora in Rheinland-Pfalz, Zeitschrift fur Naturschutz, 10, (1) 85–98.
• Dikow, Torsten and Mathis, Wayne Neilsen. 2002. "A revision and phylogenetic study of Actocetor Becker (Diptera: Ephydridae)." Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington, 104, (2) 249–290.
• Dikow, Torsten and Londt, Jason G. H. 2000. "A review of Lamyra Loew (Diptera: Asilidae: Laphriinae)." African Entomology, 8, (2) 189–200.
• Dikow, Torsten and Londt, Jason G. H. 2000. "A review of the genera Anasillomos Londt, 1983, Oratostylum Ricardo, 1925, and Remotomyia Londt, 1983, with description of a new genus and two new species (Diptera: Asilidae: Stenopogoninae)." Annals of the Natal Museum, 41 107–121.
• Dikow, Torsten. 1999. "Die Asilidae (Diptera) der "RADDATZ'schen Sammlung'' an der Universität Rostock, nebst der Beschreibung einer Abnormität der Flügeladerung bei Laphria Meigen." Archiv der Freunde der Naturgeschichte Mecklenburgs, 38 179–188.

Presentation/Lecture

• Dikow, Torsten. 2018. Shaping our taxonomic legacy – tools to accelerate biodiversity [presentation]. Gesellschaft für Biologische Systematik (GfBS), 24 March 2022. Greifswald, Germany: https://doi.org/10.25573/data.c.5907014.
• Dikow, Torsten. 2018. The online Afrotropical Asilidae Portal [presentation]. 9th International Congress of Dipterology, November 2018. Windhoek, Namibia: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.7403708.

Book Chapter

• Dikow, Torsten. 2017. "46. Apioceridae (apiocerid flies)." In Manual of Afrotropical Diptera (Vol. 2). Nematocerous Diptera and Lower Brachycera. Kirk-Spriggs, A. H. and Sinclair, B. J., editors. 1057–1061. SANBI, Pretoria: Suricata 5.
• Dikow, Torsten. 2017. "47. Mydidae (mydas flies)." In Manual of Afrotropical Diptera (Vol. 2). Nematocerous Diptera and Lower Brachycera. Kirk-Spriggs, A. H. and Sinclair, B. J., editors. 1063–1095. SANBI, Pretoria: Suricata 5.
• Londt, J. G. H. and Dikow, Torsten. 2017. "48. Asilidae (assassin flies, robber flies)." In Manual of Afrotropical Diptera (Vol. 2). Nematocerous Diptera and Lower Brachycera. Kirk-Spriggs, A. H. and Sinclair, B. J., editors. 1097–1182. SANBI, Pretoria: Suricata 5.
• Dikow, Torsten, Meier, Rudolf, Vaidya, Gaurav G., and Londt, Jason G. H. 2009. "Biodiversity research Based on taxonomic revisions - a tale of Unrealized opportunities." In Diptera diversity : status, challenges and tools. Pape, Thomas, Bickel, Daniel, and Meier, Rudolf, editors. 323–345. Leiden;Boston: Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/ej.9789004148970.I-459.55.
• Dikow, Torsten. 2008. "Order Diptera , family Mydidae." In Arthropod fauna of the United Arab Emirates. van Harten, Antonius, editor. 608–615. Abu Dhabi: Dar Al Ummah.