Kempnyia Klapálek, 1914 (Plecoptera: Perlidae): phylogeny, species delimitation and adult-nymph association using molecular tools

• Grant number: 21/04798-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: October 01, 2024
• End date: September 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Zoology - Taxonomy of Recent Groups
• Principal Investigator: Pitágoras da Conceição Bispo
• Grantee: Lucas Henrique de Almeida
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências e Letras (FCL-ASSIS). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Assis. Assis , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The Perlidae family is widely distributed and has approximately 140 described species from Brazil. Among them, 42 species belong to the genus Kempnyia, which is endemic to Brazil and distributes in mountainous regions from Bahia and Tocantins to Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul States. The genus has been recently reviewed and a morphological phylogeny was proposed, however, the relation among the species is still not resolved. Additionally, most of the nymphs are not described. Thus, in this project, Kempnyia (Perlidae) specimens will be studied with the following objectives: 1) to create a molecular database to assist future studies; 2) to propose a phylogenetic hypothesis based on morphological data and molecular markers (mainly COI, 12S, 18S, PlecSK1, Perl534 and PvC2190); 3) to identify and describe new species; 4) to document new geographic records; and 5) to describe immature stages associated with their adults. The nymphs will be collected in streams using D net and the adults using light traps. All material will be preserved in absolute ethanol and stored in a freezer (-20 oC). Morphological identification of the species will be made based on literature and museum specimens. Species delimitation will be carried out based on molecular data using the following methods: Automatic Barcode Gap Discovery (ABGD), Poisson Tree Processes (PTP), Generalized Mixed Yule Coalescent (GMYC), STACEY, Bayesian Phylogenetics and Phylogeography: genes and traits (iBPP , including also the morphology). Phylogenetic analyzes based on morphological and molecular data will be carried out using the following methods: Parsimony Analysis, Maximum Likelihood, and Bayesian Analysis.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

GASTALDO, RODRIGO BRAGA; DE ALMEIDA, LUCAS HENRIQUE; FALCA, FREDERICO. On Anacroneuriini (Plecoptera: Perlidae) morphology: Standardizing vocabulary and a morphological atlas. ARTHROPOD STRUCTURE & DEVELOPMENT, v. 86, p. 16-pg., 2025-03-13. (21/04798-3)