New species and records of the most diverse caddisfly genus in Brazil, Smicridea McLachlan, 1871 (Trichoptera: Hydropsychidae): solving a species delimitation through an integrative taxonomic approach

Abstract

Smicridea is the only genus recorded in the New World for the Gondwanan subfamily Smicrideinae (Hydropsychidae). The genus comprises two subgenera, Smicridea (Smicridea) and Smicridea (Rhyacophylax). In Brazil, Smicridea numbers 55 species, of which 16 are referred to subgenus Smicridea and 39 to subgenus Rhyacophylax. Here, we describe two new species in Smicridea (Rhyacophylax) and one in Smicridea (Smicridea), both from Brazil. Smicridea (Rhyacophylax) scalprum sp. nov. belongs to the Smicridea dispar group and is diagnosed mainly by the truncate apex of segment X that has a concave notch apically. Smicridea (Rhyacophylax) sororis sp. nov. belongs to the Smicridea argentina group and is similar to Smicridea (Rhyacophylax) froehlichi, possibly representing a recent speciation process; Smicridea (Rhyacophylax) sororis sp. nov. is differentiated mainly by the papilla‐like lateral lobes on the phallus. DNA barcode sequences (577 bp of the mitochondrial gene COI) of Smicridea (Rhyacophylax) sororis sp. nov. and Smicridea (Rhyacophylax) froehlichi were integrated to evaluate species delimitations. Smicridea (Smicridea) capao sp. nov. belongs to the Smicridea fasciatella group and appears to be morphologically similar to some Smicridea (Smicridea) from Colombia. Smicridea capao sp. nov. is diagnosed by the strong subapical constriction on the phallus and the rounded apex. Additionally, we provide new distributional records of Smicridea (Rhyacophylax) froehlichi, Smicridea (Rhyacophylax) abrupta, Smicridea (Rhyacophylax) roraimense and Smicridea (Smicridea) franciscana.

The Smicridea (Smicridea) fasciatella species group (Trichoptera: Hydropsychidae) in Brazil: six new species and new distributional records

“…Although Smicridea is highly diverse and widely distributed in Brazil, its geographic distribution is poorly known, and its diversity may be underestimated because some Brazilian states, regions, and biomes have not been sampled yet. Some recent contributions have been made to reduce the biodiversity shortfalls regarding the Brazilian Smicridea fauna (Rocha et al 2016;Alves et al 2018;Vilarino et al 2019;Desiderio et al 2020Desiderio et al , 2021. In this paper, we describe six new species of S. (Smicridea), significantly increasing the number of species of this subgenus in Brazil from 21 to 27.…”

Smicridea (Smicridea) nigripennis species group (Trichoptera: Hydropsychidae) from Brazil: new species, new distributional records and an identification key

“…2016) and the Atlantic Forest biome in the state of Paraná (Vilarino et al . 2019). The range of this species is extended to the Cerrado in the Distrito Federal and the states of Mato Grosso do Sul and São Paulo, the Cerrado–Amazonian forest transition zone in the state of Mato Grosso and the Caatinga biome in the state of Bahia.…”

“…Smicridea franciscana was previously known only from its type locality in the Serra da Canastra National Park, an area of Cerrado located in the southwestern region of the Minas Gerais State (Rocha et al 2016). Recently, it was reported for the first time from the Caatinga biome in the state of Ceará (Takiya et al 2016) and the Atlantic Forest biome in the state of Paraná (Vilarino et al 2019). The range of this species is extended to the Cerrado in the Distrito Federal and the states of Mato Grosso do Sul and São Paulo, the Cerrado-Amazonian forest transition zone in the state of Mato Grosso and the Caatinga biome in the state of Bahia.…”

“…2018; Mey & Ospina‐Torres 2018; Gibon & Sganga 2019; Rázuri‐Gonzales & Armitage 2019; Sganga & Gibon 2019; Vilarino et al . 2019). It is divided into two subgenera, the nominotypical Smicridea ( Smicridea ) (136 species) and Smicridea ( Rhyacophylax ) Müller, 1879 (106 species), which are distinguished by differences in the wing venation, male tibial spur formula and presence/absence of two pairs of abdominal glands in segments VI and VII (Flint 1974a).…”

“…Smicridea McLachlan, 1871 is the only genus of Smicrideinae (Hydropsychidae) occurring in the New World. It is the most diverse and abundant genus in this region of the world with 242 species distributed from southwestern USA, through Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and throughout South America (Holzenthal & Calor 2017;Alves et al 2018;Mey & Ospina-Torres 2018;Rázuri-Gonzales & Armitage 2019;Vilarino et al 2019). It is divided into two subgenera, the nominotypical Smicridea (Smicridea) (136 species) and Smicridea (Rhyacophylax) Müller, 1879 (106 species), which are distinguished by differences in the wing venation, male tibial spur formula and presence/absence of two pairs of abdominal glands in segments VI and VII (Flint 1974a).…”