Abstract
Among the Neotropical gripopterygids, the genus Paragripopteryx occurs along the Brazilian Atlantic coast to Uruguay. Since its first recognition by Enderlein in 1909, the genus underwent a confusing taxonomic history with some combinations. In this study, we aim to revise Paragripopteryx and present the first morphology-based phylogeny for the genus. The analysis comprised 38 morphological characters and their respective states in 30 terminal taxa, including 13 Paragripopteryx species, two new species identified as belonging to Paragripopteryx, and 15 outgroup species, among which we can highlight 12 different South American genera and one Australian genus of Gripopterygidae. The cladistic analysis yielded a parsimonious tree for k = 3 (137 steps, consistency index = 0.445, and retention index = 0.591) where most Paragripopteryx are nested, except for Uruguayan Paragripopteryx munoai. We can then infer that in its current circumscription Paragripopteryx is polyphyletic. The following two species are described: Paragripopteryx dasalmas sp. nov. and Paragripopteryx ogum sp. nov. Paragripopteryx baratinii is designated as a nomen dubium. Additionally, we provide a key for species identification, updated geographical records, and illustrations for all species. As a corollary, our study gathers relevant morphological information that can help to better understand this genus and create foundations for the next steps.
Highlights
Stoneflies (Order Plecoptera Burmeister, 1839 [1]) are relevant components of stream ecosystems all over the world, with more than 3,700 species in 17 families [2, 3]
Our data indicate that Paragripopteryx is not monophyletic, but that most species are grouped into a single clade (Clade C, Fig 2), which is only supported by a synapomorphy
Paragripopteryx intervalensis was recovered as part of a polytomy nested in Clades D and E when we analyzed k = 3–5 (Fig 2)
Summary
Stoneflies (Order Plecoptera Burmeister, 1839 [1]) are relevant components of stream ecosystems all over the world, with more than 3,700 species in 17 families [2, 3]. Recent evidence suggests that the ancestors of extant stoneflies probably originated between Middle to Upper Permian period (around 265 Mya) [4], earlier than previously estimated [5, 6]. According to this view, it was during the Lower Jurassic period (around 180 Mya), in a scenario of deep changes in the Earth’s climate due to the split of the Pangaea supercontinent, that two groups, Notonemouridae and Antarctoperlaria, dispersed independently to the south, with subsequent extinction in the north [4]. The Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES “Finance Code 001”) financed the English revision The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
