Abstract
BackgroundThe 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.MethodsThe 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 DiscussionThis 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.
Highlights
Oecetis McLachlan, 1877, is a genus within the caddisfly family Leptoceridae (Insecta: Trichoptera) with 534 valid species
The genitalia are characterized by having segment IX usually short, the preanal appendages somewhat prominent and ovoid, and the inferior appendages single-segmented (Schmid, 1998)
The adults can be distinguished from other caddisflies by their unique wing venation, with an unbranched forewing M vein (Quinteiro & Calor, 2015), as well as their exceptionally long maxillary palps (Schmid, 1998)
Summary
Oecetis McLachlan, 1877, is a genus within the caddisfly family Leptoceridae (Insecta: Trichoptera) with 534 valid species. The adults can be distinguished from other caddisflies by their unique wing venation, with an unbranched forewing M vein (Quinteiro & Calor, 2015), as well as their exceptionally long maxillary palps (Schmid, 1998). Their color ranges from pale yellow to dark brown and their size is from 6 to 12 mm (Henriques-Oliveira, Dumas & Nessimian, 2014). We describe an additional 14 new species of Oecetis to further document the diversity of this genus in the Neotropical region. Most of the diagnostic characters rely on structures of the inferior appendages and phallic apparatus, and the shape of tergum X
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