New genera and species, and new records of Tasmanian Trichoptera (Insecta)

Examination of Trichoptera specimens collected in Tasmania over the last 25 years has led to a revision of the Trichoptera list for Tasmania, and expansion of the distributions of many species, particularly those in the World Heritage areas. The following 17 new species are described: Poecilochorema anastemum, T aschorema dispatens, Ptychobiosis iconica, Chimarra derogata, Hydrobiosella tahunense, H. anatolica, H disrupta, H propinqua, H scalaris, H otaria, Daternomina quastrulla, D. jacksonae, Cheumatopsyche deani, C. alampeta, Diemeniluma serrula, Marilia aenigmata and T asmanthrus gwendolensis. There are also three new combinations - Taschorema ithyphallicum Schmid, Daternomina irrorata Kimmins and Diemeniluma tasmanica Jacquemart. New genera are established for Daternomina (Family Ecnomidae) and Diemeniluma (Family Hydropsychidae)

A new classification of the long-horned caddisflies (Trichoptera: Leptoceridae) based on molecular data

Background: Leptoceridae are among the three largest families of Trichoptera (caddisflies). The current classification is founded on a phylogenetic work from the 1980's, based on morphological characters from adult males, i.e. wing venation, tibial spur formula and genital morphology. In order to get a new opinion about the relationships within the family, we undertook a molecular study of the family based on sequences from five genes, mitochondrial COI and the four nuclear genes CAD, EF-1 alpha, IDH and POL. Results: The resulting phylogenetic hypotheses are more or less congruent with the morphologically based classification, with most genera and tribes recovered as monophyletic, but with some major differences. For monophyly of the two subfamilies Triplectidinae and Leptocerinae, one tribe of each was removed and elevated to subfamily status; however monophyly of some genera and tribes is in question. All clades except Leptocerinae, were stable across different analysis methods. Conclusions: We elevate the tribes Grumichellini and Leptorussini to subfamily status, Grumichellinae and Leptorussinae, respectively. We also propose the synonymies of Ptochoecetis with Oecetis and Condocerus with Hudsonema.authorCount :

The Earliest Evidence of Holometabolan Insect Pupation in Conifer Wood

Background: The pre-Jurassic record of terrestrial wood borings is poorly resolved, despite body fossil evidence of insect diversification among xylophilic clades starting in the late Paleozoic. Detailed analysis of borings in petrified wood provides direct evidence of wood utilization by invertebrate animals, which typically comprises feeding behaviors.\ud \ud Methodology/Principal Findings: We describe a U-shaped boring in petrified wood from the Late Triassic Chinle Formation of southern Utah that demonstrates a strong linkage between insect ontogeny and conifer wood resources. Xylokrypta durossi new ichnogenus and ichnospecies is a large excavation in wood that is backfilled with partially digested xylem, creating a secluded chamber. The tracemaker exited the chamber by way of a small vertical shaft. This sequence of behaviors is most consistent with the entrance of a larva followed by pupal quiescence and adult emergence — hallmarks of holometabolous insect ontogeny. Among the known body fossil record of Triassic insects, cupedid beetles (Coleoptera: Archostemata) are deemed the most plausible tracemakers of Xylokrypta, based on their body size and modern xylobiotic lifestyle.\ud \ud Conclusions/Significance: This oldest record of pupation in fossil wood provides an alternative interpretation to borings once regarded as evidence for Triassic bees. Instead Xylokrypta suggests that early archostematan beetles were leaders in exploiting wood substrates well before modern clades of xylophages arose in the late Mesozoic

A review of the genus Paranyctiophylax Tsuda from Sulawesi, Papua New Guinea and northern Australia (Trichoptera: Polycentropodidae)

Volume: 54Start Page: 191End Page: 20

A taxonomic and zoogeographic study of Tasmanian caddis-flies (Insecta: Trichoptera)

Volume: 38Start Page: 1End Page: 20

Additions to the family Kokiriidae (Trichoptera)

Volume: 91Start Page: 175End Page: 17