ABSTRACT Insects are fundamental to biodiversity conservation in almost all ecosystems, and their population decline, and extinction directly result from environmental impacts. These facts are aggravated by the lack of knowledge of insect biodiversity, the so-called biodiversity deficits, especially the Linnean and Wallacean shortfalls. In freshwater ecosystems, biodiversity loss is higher among aquatic insects, and caddisflies comprise one of the most vulnerable orders. In this way, research focusing on describing new caddisfly species and understanding their distribution ranges will increase knowledge of caddisfly biodiversity. In the past 14 years, the team from the Laboratório de Entomologia Aquática “Prof. Dr. Claudio Gilberto Froehlich” (LEAq, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Brazil) and collaborators have been addressing these issues, resulting in 55 described species of caddisflies. Taxa in other insect orders have also received attention and an additional 16 species have been described (eight mayflies, four stoneflies, four neuropteran spongillaflies, and antlions). Here, eight caddisfly species are described and illustrated (Atopsyche froehlichi sp. nov., Austrotinodes zeferina sp. nov., Cernotina kariri sp. nov., Neoathripsodes froehlichi sp. nov., Notalina claudiofroehlichi sp. nov., Oecetis marcus sp. nov., Phylloicus froehlichi sp. nov., and Polycentropus claudioi sp. nov.), five of them in honor of LEAq’s patron. In addition, new distributional data are presented for 10 known species. A checklist of the caddisfly fauna of Bahia state is also presented, with 138 species, around 75% and 30% of them recorded and described by the LEAq team, respectively. Currently, for caddisflies, Bahia is the fifth most species-rich state in Brazil, and the first in the Brazilian Northeast region. ecosystems decline impacts socalled so called deficits shortfalls insects way 1 years Prof. Prof “Prof Dr Froehlich LEAq, (LEAq Brazil issues 5 mayflies stoneflies spongillaflies antlions. antlions . antlions) Here Atopsyche sp nov nov. , nov.) LEAqs s patron addition 13 75 30 respectively Currently speciesrich rich region 7 3

Abstract Austrolimnius cleidecostae sp. nov. is one of the smallest species of Elmidae from the Neotropical region. The new species is described and illustrated based on male and female specimens. This species represents the first record in Elmidae of mandibles with an articulated, sclerotized process on inner subapical edge. The specimens were collected from streams in the Atlantic rainforest of São Paulo and Santa Catarina, and habitat notes are given. An updated key for the AustrolimniusCarter & Zeck, 1929 of Brazil is provided. Austrolimnis browniHinton, 1971 and A. musgraveiHinton, 1939 are recorded for the first time from Brazil.

Abstract This study analyzes ontogenetic allometry in Aegla marginata Bond-Buckup & Buckup, 1994, a freshwater crustacean, in order to evaluate the growth pattern and the presence of sexual dimorphism, using a multivariate approach. The specimens were sampled from streams in Intervales State Park, São Paulo State, Brazil. For each specimen, we measured the following structures: carapace length and width, chelae height and length, and abdomen length. Allometry was evaluated using Jolicoeur’s multivariate allometric coefficient. Our results showed that for females, ABL (abdomen length) and LCH (left chelae heigh) presented positive allometry; LCL (left chelae length) and RCH (right chelae heigh) isometry; and CL (carapace length), CW (carapace width), and RCL (right chelae length) negative allometry. For males, RCH, LCH, and LCL presented positive allometry; RCL (right chelae length) isometry; and CL, CW, and ABL negative allometry. In addition, sexual dimorphism was amplified with body size.

O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a diversidade de quatro divisões de algas de riachos (Cyanobacteria, Chlorophyta, Ochrophyta e Rhodophyta), comparando os resultados obtidos com o índice de distintividade taxonômica com os padrões de diversidade encontrados em trabalhos anteriores. Os dados foram coletados a partir de um estudo feito em 1000 segmentos de riachos em biomas da América do Norte. O arranjo taxonômico dos táxons foi criado a partir do nível de espécies até o nível de divisão, a fim de se obter a árvore taxonômica, que é utilizada no índice de distintividade taxonômica. Os resultados do índice de distintividade taxonômica mostraram que a diversidade de macroalgas de riachos foi diferente do que é comumente encontrado. Aqui, Ochrophyta foi a divisão com a maior diversidade, enquanto que no estudo original foi a divisão Chlorophyta. Cianobactérias também revelaram resultados diferentes, mostrando a menor diversidade com o índice de distintividade taxonômica, enquanto é frequentemente uma das mais diversas em trabalhos anteriores. A aplicação de métodos estatísticos deve coincidir com os objetivos da pesquisa e ser apropriada para o conjunto de dados coletados. No entanto, diferentes métodos podem complementar análises ecológicas, levando em consideração o aspecto da comunidade que a medida estatística melhor explica.

The main aim of this study was to assess the diversity of four stream algal divisions (Cyanobacteria, Chlorophyta, Ochrophyta and Rhodophyta) by comparing results obtained with taxonomic distinctness index and diversity patterns of previous studies. The data were obtained from a study made in 1000 stream segments in North American biomes. The taxonomic arrangement of the taxa was created from species to division level in order to obtain the taxonomic tree, which is used in taxonomic distinctness index. The results of taxonomic distinctness index showed that stream macroalgal diversity was different from that commonly found. Herein, Ochrophyta was the division with the highest diversity, whereas in previous studies Chlorophyta has been in the first position. Cyanobacteria also presented different results, showing the lowest diversity with taxonomic distinctness index, but it is often one of the most diverse divisions in previous studies. The application of statistical methods should match the research aims and be appropriate to the data set collected. However, different methods can complement ecological analyzes, taking into account what aspect of the community the statistical measure better explains.

The stonefly (Pleeoptera) nymphs of streams of the Almas River basin, Pirenópolis, Goiás State, Central Brazil, and some abiotie factors that might affect their temporal distribution were studied. Nymphs were sampled monthly (June 1993 to July 1994) in five stations with a Surber sampler, and each sample consisted of 20 units totalling 2 m². In each station, stream velocity, discharge, temperature, electrical conductivity and pH were measured in order to assess their influence on the density of nymphs. Nymphs were identified to genus level. In general, the annual variation in density of nymphs, in four stations, showed that the seasonal variation was not clearly influenced by the annual rain cycle. In the case of the one of the stations, where numbers of stonefly nymphs were low and the anthropic action high, there was a density peak in the rainy season. This peak was probably related to dilution of the organie pollution in the rainy season, improving the environmental conditions for the Pleeoptera.

The Trichoptera fauna in two first-order streams of Serra dos Pireneus. Goiás State, was studied from June/1993 to July/1994. The Trichoptera larvae abundances were lower in the rainy season in the two streams. The temporal distributions of the functional groups (feeding categories) was similar in both streams. The ordination by Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DCA) detected a higher temporal heterogeneity of the Trichoptera community in one of the sampling stations, probably associated with higher discharge variation. There is a large variation of abundance of some genera between the two studied streams.

Relationships among some abiotic factors (temperature, velocity, flow, conductivity, oxy-reduction potential and pH) and the seazonal density of benthic insects (immature forms) of the orders Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera at the Parque Ecológico de Goiânia, Goiás are studied. An area of 1m² was sampled and abiotic factors were recorded in 4 sites from August/1994 to July/1995. The faunistic composition was 75% Ephemeroptera, 1% Plecoptera and 24% Trichoptera. The data suggest the water velocity and flow as the main factors that determined the aquatic insects abundance.