REVISION OF EAST PALEARCTIC \u3ci\u3eAPATANIA \u3c/i\u3e (TRICHOPTERA: APATANIIDAE)

The East Palearctic genus Apatania Kolenati includes 34 species. Thirty-two of these have been described as adults and the other 2 are known only in the larval life stage. Immature stages of most species are not yet known. A morphological study of these species suggested that 2 of the nominal species are synonyms of other species, reducing the number of valid East Palearctic Apatania species to 30. A phylogeny and classification of the reviewed 30 species is provided for this work. My work does not support Schmid\u27s (1953) groupings of Apatania species. Although recognition of homologues was problematic among the highly diverse genitalia, I was able to infer new monophyletic groups among the East Paleartic species. Eight new species groups (the Apatania tsudai, A. momoyaensis, A. zonella, A. copiosa, A. chokaiensis, A. parvula, A. stigmatella and A. siniaevi Groups) and 5 species incertae sedis are recognized. Examination of adult males and females resulted in 2 subjective synonyms; Apatania crassa Schmid, 1953, is junior synonym of A. parvula Martynov, 1935; and A. doehleri Schmid, 1954, is junior synonym of A. majuscula McLachlan, 1872. Keys are provided for identifcation of the 30 valid species based on male and female genitalia. Intraspecific variations also are illustrated. This is the first comprehensive phylogenetic review of East Palearctic Apatania species and conflicting and supporting evidence for homologies of genitalic structures is considered

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’

Caddisflies (Trichoptera) of Mongolia: an updated checklist with faunistic and biogeographical notes

To establish the biogeographic affinities of the caddisfly fauna of Mongolia, published records and results of our faunistic studies were analyzed. This study captured more than 47,000 adults collected from 386 locations beside lakes, ponds, streams/rivers, and springs in ten sub-basins of Mongolia using Malaise traps, aerial sweeping, and ultraviolet lights. In total, 201 species have been recorded, and approximately 269 species may occur in Mongolia according to our estimation. In a comparison of species richness for the family level, the Limnephilidae and Leptoceridae were the richest in species. The families Brachycentridae, Glossosomatidae, and Psychomyiidae had low species richness, but they included the most dominant species in terms of abundance and/or the percentage of occurrence in the samples from multiple sub-basins. Comparing the sub-basins, the Selenge had the highest Shannon diversity (H’ = 3.3) and the Gobi sub-basin had the lowest (H’ = 1.5). According to the Jaccard index of similarity, caddisfly species assemblages of Mongolia’s ten sub-basins were divided into two main groups: One group includes the Selenge, Shishkhed, Bulgan, Tes, and Depression of Great Lakes sub-basins; the other group includes the Kherlen, Onon, Khalkh Gol, Valley of Lakes, and Gobi sub-basins. The majority of Mongolian species were composed of East Palearctic taxa, with a small percentage of West Palearctic and Nearctic representatives and an even smaller percentage from the Oriental region, suggesting that the Mongolian Gobi Desert is, and has been, a significant barrier to the distribution of caddisfly species between China and Mongolia

A Redescription of Apatania mongolica Martynov, 1914 (Trichoptera: Apataniidae), Based on Materials from Southern Mongolia

The male of Apatania mongolica is redescribed, and the description of the previously undiagnosed female of this species is provided with illustrations. Based on the features of our material, the male of A . mongolica is easily distinguishable from those of other species of the genus by having a very broad median process of segment X curved ventrad and C-shaped. The female differs from those of other Apatania species by having the hind wing discoidal cell closed, the apex of segment IX rectangular in lateral view, and the supragenital plate well-developed and thick in lateral view

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'