Fourteen new species of Oecetis McLachlan, 1877 (Trichoptera: Leptoceridae) from the Neotropical region

Abstract

Background

The caddisfly genus Oecetis currently contains 534 valid species. Its larval stages are found in freshwaters around the world. The adults can be distinguished from other Leptoceridae by the unbranched forewing M vein and the exceptionally long maxillary palps. In the Neotropical region, 55 species of Oecetis have been recorded and most of them can be placed in one of the six species groups known from this biogeographical region: the avara-, falicia-, inconspicua-, punctata-, punctipennis-, and testacea-groups. More than 50% of the known diversity of Neotropical Oecetis has been described in the past 40 years. Here, we describe an additional 14 new species of Oecetis to further document the diversity of this genus in the Neotropical region.

Methods

The descriptions and illustrations presented here are based on male specimens. Specimens were collected with Malaise traps or ultraviolet light traps. They were preserved in alcohol or pinned as stated in material examined section. Specimens had their genitalia prepared in 85% lactic acid to better observe internal characters and illustrations were aided by the use of a microscope with drawing tube attached.

Results and Discussion

This study raises the number of species of Oecetis in the Neotropics from 55 to 69. Eight of the new species presented here could not be reliably placed in one of the known species groups ( Oecetis acuticlasper n. sp., Oecetis flinti n. sp., Oecetis carinata n. sp., Oecetis cassicoleata n. sp., Oecetis blahniki n. sp., Oecetis gibbosa n. sp., Oecetis licina n. sp., and Oecetis pertica n. sp.). The others are placed in the punctata-group ( Oecetis bidigitata n. sp., Oecetis quasipunctata n. sp.), testacea-group ( Oecetis plenuspinosa n. sp.), and falicia-group ( Oecetis calori n. sp., Oecetis hastapulla n. sp., Oecetis machaera n. sp.). Most of the diagnostic characters rely on structures of the inferior appendages and phallic apparatus, and the shape of tergum X.