Description of two new filtering carnivore Drusus species (Limnephilidae, Drusinae) from the Western Balkans

Abstract

Two new species of the genus Drusus (Trichoptera, Limnephilidae, Drusinae) from the Western Balkans are described. Additionally, observations on the biodiversity and threats to the region’s endemic aquatic fauna are discussed. Drusus krpachi sp. n. is a micro-endemic of the Korab Mountains, Macedonia, and Drusus malickyi sp. n. is a micro-endemic of the Prokletije Mountains, Albania. Both new species are most similar to Drusus macedonicus but differ from the latter in the shape of segment IX, the shape of the tips of the intermediate appendages in lateral view, the shape of the inferior appendages, and the form and shape of the parameres. In addition, males of the European species of filtering carnivore Drusinae are diagnosed and illustrated, including Cryptothrix nebulicola McLachlan, Drusus chrysotus Rambur, Drusus discolor Rambur, Drusus macedonicus Schmid, Drusus meridionalis Kumanski, Drusus muelleri McLachlan, Drusus romanicus Murgoci and Botosaneanu, and Drusus siveci Malicky. These additions to the Western Balkan fauna demonstrate the significance of this region for European biodiversity and further highlight the importance of faunistic studies in Europe.

Revision of Drusinae subfamily (Trichoptera, Limnephilidae): divergence by paraproct and paramere: speciation in isolation by integration

“…This is why for speciation paraproct or paramere is really super, not simply magic. As we have recorded before, many Drusus species evolved in geographic isolation and through sexual selection of speciation traits of both the paramere and the paraproct (Oláh et al 2015). These phenotypes are integrated by concerted organisation and completed in sexual selection mechanisms.…”

“…The stability of these subtle trait divergences is integrated by analogy of collective cooperation of many genes and organised by the whole genome and phenome (Anderson 2001, Oláh et al 2015. These subtle traits are perfectly detectable empirically at higher microscopic resolution without virtual procedures of geometric morphometrics.…”

“…These trait matrices were used to differentiate and describe over seventy new European incipient phylogenetic limnephilid species in the last few years (Oláh 2010, Oláh 2011a, b, c, d, Oláh & Kovács 2012, Oláh et al 2013a, b, c, Oláh & Kovács 2014, Oláh et al 2015, Oláh et al 2016, Oláh & Ibrahimi 2016. From our limited collecting effort and from the pattern of the discovered speciation mechanisms we have predicted that much more caddisfly sibling species are still waiting to be described in southern European glacial refugia, that is in the mountain ranges where the Pleistocen ice effect was not so severe.…”

“…Has mate selection a real challenge to the theory of natural selection? Are the abiotic and biotic (social, sexual) selections simply particular mechanisms among the many other phenomic and genomic effects and constraints triggering pressures and generating genetic, epigenetic and regulatory variations as well as developmental compulsions to integrate into the building process of a state adaptation in order to maintain organismic authonomy (Oláh et al 2015)? Is the divergence of species, the descent with modifications, not selective, but rather an integrative process powered by state integration to survive?…”

Some new and interesting species of caddisflies (Insecta, Trichoptera) found in Croatia

“…Trichoptera have colonised all the continents except Antarctica, while the greatest degree of biodiversity is exhibited in Central and Southern America, and in Asia (Morse, 2015). The larvae have differing ways of feeding and several groups can be distinguished accordingly: shredders, grazers, predators, filtering carnivores and filterers (Graf et al, 2008b;Pauls et al, 2008;Vitecek et al, 2015aVitecek et al, , 2015b.…”