Gripopterygidae (Plecoptera) from Serra do Japi, São Paulo: integrating morphological and molecular information for species identification

• Grant number: 22/01516-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): July 01, 2022
• Effective date (End): December 31, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Zoology - Taxonomy of Recent Groups
• Principal Investigator: Pitágoras da Conceição Bispo
• Grantee: Felipe Ribeiro Pereira Sarmento
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências e Letras (FCL-ASSIS). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Assis. Assis , SP, Brazil

Abstract

In this project, specimens of Gripopterygidae (Plecoptera) will be collected in Japi Mountains in the Municipal Biological Reserve of the Japi Mountains, São Paulo State, with the following objectives: 1) to identify species of Gripopterygidae from Japi Mountains using morphology and then obtaining sequences of mitochondrial gene COI for each of them; 2) to obtain adult-nymph association using sequences of mitochondrial gene COI; 3) to describe the nymphs of associated species; 4) to build a guide of identification for the species of Gripopterygidae from the region; 5) conceive an article of scientific popularization about the aquatic insects from the region with a focus in the order Plecoptera, henceforth there will be a beginning of training the student in aquatic entomology and morphological and molecular tools in biodiversity studies. The nymphs will be collected using D net, the adults using nets and light traps and Malaise traps. All material will be preserved in absolute ethanol and stored in a freezer (-20 oC). The morphological species identification will be based on adult males and subsequently each species will be characterized based on mitochondrial COI gene. The nymphs will be separated in morphotypes and also characterized with respect to the mitochondrial COI gene. Later, the sequences will be compared in order to associate nymphs and adults. The associated nymphs will be described. As a outcome of this project, the student will receive initial training in aquatic entomology and also morphological and molecular tools applied in the studies of biodiversity.