Phylogenomics recovers multiple origins of portable case making in caddisflies (Insecta: Trichoptera), nature's underwater architects.

Caddisflies (Trichoptera) are among the most diverse groups of freshwater animals with more than 16 000 described species. They play a fundamental role in freshwater ecology and environmental engineering in streams, rivers and lakes. Because of this, they are frequently used as indicator organisms in biomonitoring programmes.

Allelic resolution of insect and spider silk genes reveals hidden genetic diversity.

Arthropod silk is vital to the evolutionary success of hundreds of thousands of species. The primary proteins in silks are often encoded by long, repetitive gene sequences. Until recently, sequencing and assembling these complex gene sequences has proven intractable given their repetitive structure.

A new genus and new species of Ecuadorian Philopotamidae (Trichoptera).

A new genus and species of Philopotamidae (Trichoptera), , is described from the southern slope of Volcán Sumaco in Ecuador. This new genus differs from other philopotamid genera by having very elongate, narrow anterolateral apodemes on segment IX and the inferior appendages, a very elongate and narrow tergum X, and a very elongate, tubular phallus. In addition, two new species of are also described and illustrated from Sumaco as well as three new Chimarra (Chimarra), one new Chimarra (Curgia), and one new Chimarra (Otarrha) from the eastern and western slopes of the Ecuadorian Andes.

A preliminary molecular phylogeny of the family Hydroptilidae (Trichoptera): an exploration of combined targeted enrichment data and legacy sequence data.

Hydroptilidae is an extremely diverse family within Trichoptera, containing over 2,600 known species, that displays a wide array of ecological, morphological, and habitat diversity. However, exploration into the evolutionary history of microcaddisflies based on current phylogenetic methods is mostly lacking. The purpose of this study is to provide a proof-of-concept that the use of molecular data, particularly targeted enrichment data, and statistically supported methods of analysis can result in the construction of a stable phylogenetic framework for the microcaddisflies.

Checklist of the caddisflies (Insecta, Trichoptera) of the Upper Midwest region of the United States.

Five hundred and fifty-two caddisfly species are reported from the Upper Midwest region of the United States, an area that includes 13 states and ~ 2 million km. Of these, 62 species are reported for the first time from the state of Iowa, 25 from Wisconsin, 18 from South Dakota, 12 from Illinois, five from Indiana, four from North Dakota, four from Minnesota, and one from Nebraska. The Upper Midwest fauna contains nearly 40% of all species known from the United States and Canada, as well as 22 species endemic to the region.

Elevational biodiversity gradients in the Neotropics: Perspectives from freshwater caddisflies (Insecta: Trichoptera).

Aquatic insects in the order Trichoptera are extremely diverse in number of species and their trophic roles. However, their distribution and diversity patterns are poorly known in the Neotropics, including the species restricted to tropical mountain ecosystems. Recent studies in tropical mountains have shown high levels of endemism of aquatic insects and changes in the composition of communities over short distances.

De Novo Genome Assembly and Annotation of an Andean Caddisfly, Atopsyche davidsoni Sykora, 1991, a Model for Genome Research of High-Elevation Adaptations.

We sequence, assemble, and annotate the genome of Atopsyche davidsoni Sykora, 1991, the first whole-genome assembly for the caddisfly family Hydrobiosidae. This free-living and predatory caddisfly inhabits streams in the high-elevation Andes and is separated by more than 200 Myr of evolutionary history from the most closely related caddisfly species with genome assemblies available. We demonstrate the promise of PacBio HiFi reads by assembling the most contiguous caddisfly genome assembly to date with a contig N50 of 14 Mb, which is more than 6× more contiguous than the current most contiguous assembly for a caddisfly (Hydropsyche tenuis).

Draft Genome Assemblies and Annotations of Agrypnia vestita Walker, and Hesperophylax magnus Banks Reveal Substantial Repetitive Element Expansion in Tube Case-Making Caddisflies (Insecta: Trichoptera).

Trichoptera (caddisflies) play an essential role in freshwater ecosystems; for instance, larvae process organic material from the water and are food for a variety of predators. Knowledge on the genomic diversity of caddisflies can facilitate comparative and phylogenetic studies thereby allowing scientists to better understand the evolutionary history of caddisflies. Although Trichoptera are the most diverse aquatic insect order, they remain poorly represented in terms of genomic resources.

New species from Ecuador (Trichoptera, Leptoceridae).

Four new species of Mosely are described from Ecuador: , , , and These species belong to the group and constitute new records of the genus from Chimborazo, Imbabura, and Napo Provinces. Additionally, represents the highest elevation recorded for any species in the genus at 3900 m. Size class data are also presented suggesting continuous larval growth for the probable larva of , described and illustrated here.

New species and a new genus of Philopotamidae from the Andes of Bolivia and Ecuador (Insecta, Trichoptera).

A new genus and species of Philopotamidae (Philopotaminae), , is described from the Bolivian Andes of South America. The new genus differs from other Philopotaminae by the loss of 2A vein in the hind wing and, in the male genitalia, the synscleritous tergum and sternum of segment VIII, and the elongate sclerotized dorsal processes of segment VIII. The first record of (Philopotaminae) in the New World is also provided with a new species from the Andes of Ecuador, .

of Ecuador: a new species from the high Andean páramo and redescription of (Ross) (Trichoptera: Leptoceridae).

The male and female of a new species of long-horned caddisfly, , are described from the high Andes of Ecuador. The new species was found above 4,000 m, representing the highest recorded elevation for a species in the genus. The larval stage of the species is also described.

Two new species of the rare Neotropical caddisfly genus Holzenthal (Trichoptera, Leptoceridae).

Two new species in the rare, endemic Neotropical caddisfly genus Holzenthal, 1985 are described from Ecuador () and Peru () bringing to 17 the number of species known in the genus. Almost all species are known from only a few individuals and from even fewer localities. The new species belong to a group of 10 other species that have tergum X in the male genitalia divided into a mesal process and a pair of lateral processes.

New species of the endemic Neotropical caddisfly genus from the Andes of Ecuador (Trichoptera: Anomalopsychidae).

The genus Flint (Trichoptera: Anomalopsychidae) is composed mostly of regionally endemic species occurring above 2,000 m, with a few more widespread species and some that are found at lower elevations. Adults of three new species of are described and illustrated from the Andes of Ecuador, , new species, , new species, and , new species. These species are similar to previously described species from the region, including , and New provincial records are provided for .

New caddisflies from the Ecuadorian Amazon (Trichoptera: Polycentropodidae).

Two new species of the caddisfly genus Ross, 1938 (Polycentropodidae) are described from the lowland Amazon basin of Ecuador, , new species, and , new species. These represent the first new species described from this region. We also record from Ecuador for the first time Flint, previously known from Tobago, and present new Ecuadorian locality records for .

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

Background: The caddisfly genus 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.

Catalog of the Neotropical Trichoptera (Caddisflies).

The Neotropical caddisfly (Trichoptera) fauna is cataloged from a review of over 1,000 literature citations through 2015 (partial 2016) to include 3,262 currently recognized, valid species-group names in 25 families and 155 extant genera. Fourteen subspecies are included in the total as well as 35 fossil species and 1 fossil genus. The region covered includes all of Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and South America.

A new Ecuadorian species of the rare Neotropical caddisfly genus Holzenthal (Trichoptera, Leptoceridae).

A new species of the rare long-horned caddisfly genus Holzenthal is described from Ecuador, bringing the number of species known from the genus to 15. All species are very regional in their distributions and known only from very few specimens. The new species, , is similar to a number of previously described species from Colombia (, , , , and ) and Ecuador ( and ).

New synonyms in the highly diverse caddisfly genus (Trichoptera, Hydropsychidae).

In this paper, Smicridea (Rhyacophylax) repula Oláh & Johanson, 2012 is synonymized with Smicridea (Rhyacophylax) lobata (Ulmer, 1909), and the species Botosaneanu, 2002 is transferred to Smicridea (Rhyacophylax) as a synonym of . Additionally, we present more detailed illustrations of the male genitalia of Smicridea (Rhyacophylax) lobata and Smicridea (Rhyacophylax) signata (Banks, 1903), and include notes on their distributions to aid in the identification of these two, often-confused species.

Diversity and distribution of the Caddisflies (Insecta: Trichoptera) of Ecuador.

Background: Aquatic insects and other freshwater animals are some of the most threatened forms of life on Earth. Caddisflies (Trichoptera) are highly biodiverse in the Neotropics and occupy a wide variety of freshwater habitats. In Andean countries, including Ecuador, knowledge of the aquatic biota is limited, and there is a great need for baseline data on the species found in these countries.

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.

Three new species of Helicopsyche von Siebold (Trichoptera: Helicopsychidae) from Brazil.

Three new species of Helicopsyche subgenus Feropsyche (Trichoptera: Helicopsychidae) from southern and southeastern Brazil are diagnosed, described, and illustrated: Helicopsyche angeloi sp. nov. (Holotype male deposited in MZSP: Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo States), H.

Revision of the Neotropical species of the caddisfly genus Wormaldia McLachlan (Trichoptera: Philopotamidae).

Wormaldia McLachlan 1865 is the 2nd largest genus in the family Philopotamidae (Trichoptera) after Chimarra Stephens 1829 and is diverse and widely distributed, with ca. 175 extant species in all biogeographic regions except the Australasian. In this monograph, 14 previously described species are recognized for the Neotropical region: W.

A revision of the Neotropical caddisfly genus Leucotrichia Mosely, 1934 (Hydroptilidae, Leucotrichiinae).

A revision of Leucotrichia (Trichoptera, Hydroptilidae) is provided, including a generic diagnosis, illustrations, a key, and descriptions of males. A total of 43 species are treated, 13 described as new: Leucotrichiaangelinae sp. n.

Review and redescription of species in the Oecetis avara group, with the description of 15 new species (Trichoptera, Leptoceridae).

The O. avara group of Oecetis is formally defined to include 4 described species, O. avara (Banks), O.