Revision and phylogeny of the caddisfly subfamily Protoptilinae (Trichoptera: Glossosomatidae) inferred from adult morphology and mitochondrial DNA

Protoptilinae Ross, 1956, is the most diverse subfamily belonging to the saddle- or tortoise-case-making caddisfly family Glossosomatidae Wallengren, 1891. The subfamily has a disjunct distribution: 5 genera are known from the East Palaearctic and Oriental regions; the remaining 13 are restricted to the Nearctic and Neotropical regions. Monophyly of Protoptilinae and each of 17 genera was tested using 80 taxa, 99 morphological characters, and mitochondrial DNA (COI). Additionally, homologies of morphological characters were assessed across genera and a standardized terminology for those structures was established. Mitochondrial DNA data were unavailable for 55 of the 80 taxa included in this study. To test the effects of the missing molecular data, 5 different datasets were analyzed using both parsimony and Bayesian methods. There was incongruence between the COI and morphological data, but results suggest the inclusion of COI data in a combined analysis, although incomplete, improved the overall phylogenetic signal. Bayesian and parsimony analyses of all 5 datasets strongly supported the monophyly of Protoptilinae. Monophyly of the following genera was also supported: Canoptila Mosely, 1939; Culoptila Mosely, 1954; Itauara Müller, 1888; Mastigoptila Flint, 1967; Mortoniella Ulmer, 1906; Protoptila Banks, 1904; and Tolhuaca Schmid, 1964. Several taxonomic changes were necessary for classification to reflect phylogeny accurately. Accordingly, Matrioptila Ross, 1938; Poeciloptila Schmid, 1991; Temburongpsyche Malicky, 1992; and Nepaloptila Kimmins, 1964, are designated new junior synonyms of Padunia Martynov, 1910. Additionally, the endemic Caribbean genera Campsiophora Flint, 1964, and Cubanoptila Sykora, 1973, are designated new junior synonyms of Cariboptila Flint, 1964. Diagnoses and a key to the subfamilies of Glossosomatidae and world genera of Protoptilinae incorporating these taxonomic changes are provided

Phylogeny and revision of the Neotropical genus Grumichella Müller (Trichoptera: Leptoceridae), including nine new species and a key

The systematics of the Neotropical caddisfly genus Grumichella Müller (Leptoceridae: Grumichellinae) are reviewed. Diagnoses, descriptions and illustrations are provided for four previously described species, G. aequiunguis Flint, 1983, G. flaveola (Ulmer, 1911), G. pulchella (Banks, 1910) and G. rostrata Thienemann, 1905, and nine new species: G. blahniki sp. nov. (Peru), G. boraceia sp. nov. (Brazil), G. cressae sp. nov. (Venezuela), G. jureia sp. nov. (Brazil), G. leccii sp. nov. (Brazil), G. muelleri sp. nov. (Brazil), G. paprockii sp. nov. (Brazil), G. parati sp. nov. (Brazil) and G. trujilloi sp. nov. (Venezuela). The monophyly of the genus is corroborated (16 synapomorphies) and the phylogenetic relationships of its included species, based on analysis of 66 adult, larval, and pupal characters, are inferred as (G. aequiunguis ((G. boraceiae (G. leccii, G. parati)) (G. rostrata ((G. flaveola, G. pulchella) (G. muelleri, G. paprockii)) (G. jureia (G. trujilloi (G. cressae, G. blahniki)))))). A taxonomic key to the males of the species is presented

Taxonomy and systematics: contributions to benthology and J-NABS

Systematics, or taxonomy, is the study of the diversity of life on Earth. Its goals are to discover and describe new biological diversity and to understand its evolutionary and biogeographic origins and relationships. Here we review the contributions to the field of systematics and taxonomy published over the last 25 y in J-NABS and its predecessor Freshwater Invertebrate Biology (FIB). We examined a total of 64 studies that we considered to be largely taxonomic in nature. We classified these studies into 2 major categories: morphological (e.g., descriptive taxonomy, taxonomic revisions) and molecular (e.g., deoxyribonucleic acid [DNA] barcoding, population genetics). We examined studies in 5-y increments for J-NABS. We also studied the period 1982 to 1985, during which FIB was published. On average, 12 taxonomic studies were published within each 5-y period. Molecular studies first appeared in 1986 and have slowly increased, reaching their greatest number within the last 5 y. Studies also were classified by their individual attributes. Morphological studies were, by far, the most common, but studies also included molecular data, biological information, distributional data, keys, and biogeographical analyses. Most studies included .1 of these attributes. Overall, the role of J-NABS in the development of benthic taxonomy has been minimal in terms of number of publications, but as part of the nexus of taxomonic literature, all contributions have been important to the discipline. We discuss these contributions and their impact on the following subject areas: taxonomy and revisionary systematics, phylogenetic and molecular systematics, taxonomic resources, taxonomic resolution, conservation and taxonomy, professional training, taxonomic certification, and graduate education. We also give an overview of new developments in the taxonomists’ toolbox. These developments include DNA barcoding, online taxonomic resources, digital identification keys, cybertaxonomy, and modern museum collections and resources

The Trichoptera barcode initiative: a strategy for generating a species-level Tree of Life

DNA barcoding was intended as a means to provide species-level identifications through associating DNA sequences from unknown specimens to those from curated reference specimens. Although barcodes were not designed for phylogenetics, they can be beneficial to the completion of the Tree of Life. The barcode database for Trichoptera is relatively comprehensive, with data from every family, approximately two-thirds of the genera, and one-third of the described species. Most Trichoptera, as with most of life’s species, have never been subjected to any formal phylogenetic analysis. Here, we present a phylogeny with over 16 000 unique haplotypes as a working hypothesis that can be updated as our estimates improve. We suggest a strategy of implementing constrained tree searches, which allow larger datasets to dictate the backbone phylogeny, while the barcode data fill out the tips of the tree. We also discuss how this phylogeny could be used to focus taxonomic attention on ambiguous species boundaries and hidden biodiversity. We suggest that systematists continue to differentiate between ‘Barcode Index Numbers’ (BINs) and ‘species’ that have been formally described. Each has utility, but they are not synonyms. We highlight examples of integrative taxonomy, using both barcodes and morphology for species description. This article is part of the themed issue ‘From DNA barcodes to biomes’

Engineering Services of Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV): Investigation of the Land-Building and Energy-Attenuating Properties of SAV Habitats Across Spatial Scales

Submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) species, such as seagrasses, are highly valued in estuaries because of the many economic, ecological, and cultural services that they provide, including shelter for fisheries, minimizing water turbidity, and improving am-bient water quality. SAV can also alter its physical environment by attenuating wave and current velocities, changing the magnitude and/or direction of sediment trans-port, and reducing fluid stress on erodible shorelines. The energy attenuating and sediment accreting properties of SAV are commonly referred to as their engineering services, as they can act as a first line of defense against coastal flooding and erosion hazards. This thesis is comprised of three manuscripts that investigate engineering services of SAV in combined wave and current environments, particularly for the case of spatially discontinuous habitats. Throughout the work, the abbreviation “SAV” is used to concisely refer to two similar species of seagrasses commonly found in the United States, Zostera marina and Zostera japonica. Collectively, the work addresses critical knowledge gaps related to the design of habitat restoration at various stages. In the first manuscript, we modify a regional scale depth-averaged numerical model of waves and circulation (ADCIRC+SWAN) to quantify the control of discontinuous SAV habitats on tidal and circulation processes in the Coos Bay Estuary (Oregon, United States). To answer our research question, we develop a dynamic friction routine to improve the ability of ADCIRC+SWAN to capture time-varying flow attenuation by flexible SAV species, which deform under wave and current forces. Using our dynamic friction routine, we show that neglecting SAV deflection leads to exces-sive attenuation of flow velocities within canopies and enhanced flow velocities in the unvegetated areas adjacent to the canopies, increasing the tendency for sediment transport. The novel dynamic friction routine can be easily adapted into other re-gional scale numerical models to improve prediction of the larger-scale hydrodynamic impacts of discontinuous SAV habitats in other settings. In the second manuscript, we present the results of a full-scale laboratory experiment investigating the sediment accreting capability of finite SAV patches in oscillatory flow. The results of this experiment show that even when flexible SAV mimics are deflected by waves to less than one-third their upright length, depositional mounds shoreward of the patch form with lengths that scale with patch diameter. Further-more, results indicate that provided a minimal stem density is used, larger diameter, relatively sparse SAV patches lead to larger depositional mounds than smaller, very dense patches. We also provide evidence that the depositional mounds are generated by the suspension and transport of sediment within the canopy by between-stem turbulence and canopy streaming; thus, predicting sediment transport around and within finite SAV patches requires inclusion of these two mechanisms. Finally, the third manuscript uses a depth-resolving regional scale numerical model of SAV, hydrodynamics, and sediment transport interactions (COAWST) to quantify the influence of SAV habitat design parameters on key restoration outcomes. In doing so, we integrate the foci and expand the parameter space explored in the two previous manuscripts. Results indicate that habitat depth and cross-shore length have a leading order influence on the modification of wave and current velocities over the habitat. Although findings suggest that habitat shading depends more on water depth (a function of cross-shore habitat extent) than suspended sediment turbidity, incorporating the SAV-induced transport mechanisms identified in the second manuscript into the COAWST modeling framework could improve prediction of within-patch turbidity, as well as prediction of longer term morphological impacts of proposed restorations. Collectively, the body of work reiterates the necessity of SAV habitat design to match the scale of target outcomes, and it provides numerical tools and frameworks to support scale-appropriate SAV restoration siting and design. In conjunction with recent advances in understanding SAV biogeochemical responses to changing climates, the outcomes of this dissertation can be used to protect the long-term survival of SAV habitats and the myriad of services they provide to all inhabitants of coastal estuaries

New species of Chimarra subgenus Chimarra Stephens from Costa Rica (Trichoptera/Philopotamidae)

Volume: 94Start Page: 409End Page: 43