Immature stages of the limnephilid caddisfly Verger lutzi (Navás 1918) (Trichoptera: Limnephilidae): description and larval life-history traits in seasonal forested wetlands of Northwestern Patagonia.

The genus Verger Navás 1918 (Trichoptera: Limnephilidae), is a Neotropical genus exclusive to the Andean region, with most of its species distributed from Tierra del Fuego to north central Chile and Argentina. Currently, 20 species of the genus have been described from adults and only six larvae have been associated and diagnosed. The ecology of the species is completely unknown. In this work, we describe and illustrate the immature stages of Verger lutzi (Navás 1918) and study its breeding phenology, larval growth and adult emergence. The main characters that enable the separation of this species are the coloration the body, shape of the anterior ventral apotome, shape and distribution of metanotal setal areas, distribution of tracheal gills and number of accessory teeth in the anal prolegs. Reproduction occurs during the summer and females lay their eggs on the wetland basin formed by humid leaf litter and organic debris, covered by herbaceous vegetation. Larvae hatch after flooding and overwinter in the wetland. Larvae develop fast during spring and emergence begins in December before the wetland dries up. Description of the immature stages is helpful for use of macroinvertebrates biomonitoring, ecological studies and understanding their ecosystem services in seasonal-lentic habitats.

Review and redescription of species in the brasiliana group of Smicridea (Rhyacophylax) (Trichoptera, Hydropsychidae, Smicrideinae): exploration of the utility of geometric morphometrics as a method for delimitation and characterization of species in the genus.

The Smicrideabrasiliana species group includes five species distributed in northeastern Argentina and Brazil: Smicridea (Rhyacophylax) brasiliana (Ulmer), S. (R.) weidneri Flint, S. (R.) vermiculata Flint, S. (R.) arobasis Flint, and S. (R.) nanda Flint. The original descriptions of these species and their placement in the brasiliana species group were mainly based on the morphology of the male genitalia. However, the fine structure of the internal sclerites of the phallus, which proved to be useful for species delimitation, was not analyzed at the time. In this contribution, we provide a detailed description of the male genitalia and the morphology of the head, and analyze the shape of the wings using geometric morphometrics. The analyzed species can be easily differentiated by the shape of the phallus, especially by the structure of the internal sclerites, the shape of the head in dorsal view, and the shape of the cephalic setose warts. Furthermore, the geometric morphometric approach allowed their separation through the wing shape. The preliminary analysis of these features suggests that the brasiliana species group is not natural but its monophyly should be further tested within the framework of a phylogenetic analysis of all the species of the subgenus Rhyacophylax.

New species and records of the Neotropical genus Cyrnellus (Trichoptera: Polycentropodidae) and the re-establishment of C. minimus and C. marginalis.

Cyrnellus is a small genus of Polycentropodidae distributed in the Nearctic and Neotropical regions, absent from the Chilean subregion. Two new species are here described: C. boliviensis sp. nov. and C. guyanensis sp. nov. Cyrnellus minimus Banks 1913 considered as a junior synonym of Cyrnellus fraternus (Banks 1905) by Flint (1971) and C. marginalis (Banks 1930) considered as a junior synonym of Cyrnellus fraternus by Flint (1964) are revalidated at the specific level. We provide a key and illustrations for adult males and nine new country records for Bolivia.

The genera Smicridea McLachlan and Chimarra Stephens in French Guiana (Trichoptera: Hydropsychidae, Philopotamidae).

A brief collecting exploration to small streams in the coastal zone of French Guiana resulted in the capture of eight species belonging to the genus Smicridea McLachlan 1871 and two belonging to the genus Chimarra Stephens 1829. Given the scarcity of knowledge about the trichopteran fauna of this territory, the results of the study of this material are provided. A new species of the genus Smicridea is described: Smicridea (Rhyacophylax) sanctorum sp. n. Six species of Smicridea are new for French Guiana: Smicridea (R.) abrupta Flint 1974, Smicridea (R.) caligata Flint 1974, Smicridea (R.) columbiana Ulmer 1905, Smicridea (R.) pseudolobata Flint 1978, Smicridea (S.) obliqua Flint 1974, and Smicridea (S.) truncata Flint 1974. These results bring the number of French Guianan Smicridea species to 16. The two Chimarra species represent the first species records of the genus in French Guiana.

Preimaginal stages of Triplectides misionensis Holzenthal and Triplectides gracilis (Burmeister) (Trichoptera: Leptoceridae: Triplectidinae), with notes on the cases occupied by these species.

The larvae, pupae and cases of Triplectides misionensis Holzenthal and T. gracilis (Burmeister) are described from specimens collected in protected areas from northeastern Argentina. The larvae are easily differentiated by the coloration of the cephalic capsule, shape of the ventral apotome and submentum, anterior border of the pronotum, and coloration of the legs, among other characters, while the pupae can be recognized by the chaetotaxy of the head. The larvae occupy empty cases of Grumicha grumicha Valot and Nectopsyche gemma (Müller), as well as hollow twigs. Triplectides misionensis is found almost exclusively in cases of G. grumicha while T. gracilis prefers twigs of different sizes.