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.

ABSTRACT Five new species of Alisotrichia Flint, 1964 microcaddisflies are described and illustrated from type material collected in Northeastern Brazil, constituting the first records of the genus to this region, as it was previously known only from Southeastern and Northern Brazil. The number of Brazilian species of Alisotrichia is doubled herein from five to ten, however, likely there are still many other species to be described. The new species described here are all placed in the orophila species group: A. froehlichi sp. nov. (Sergipe State), A. calori sp. nov. (Bahia and Paraíba states), A. penispinata sp. nov. (Ceará and Pernambuco states), A. dilatata sp. nov. (Ceará and Mato Grosso do Sul states), and A. nordestina sp. nov. (Ceará and Sergipe states). These new species are separated mainly by features of male genitalia, particularly the dorsal area of segment X, the shape of the segment VIII, and the phallus morphology. Currently, the orophila species group is composed by 37 species, more than half of the species diversity of Alisotrichia.

Hydroptila Dalman, 1819 is one of the most diverse genus of Hydroptilidae, comprising over 400 species distributed in all biogeographical regions. Only two species were previously recorded from Brazil. Here, three new species from Northeastern Brazil are described and illustrated. The new species can be distinguished based on the male genitalia: Hydroptila marighellai sp. nov. can be recognized by the pliers-shaped tergum X; H. florestani sp. nov. can be recognized by having inferior appendages curved upwards in lateral view; and H. zerbinae sp. nov. differs from the other species of the denza group in the apex of the tergum X, which is wide in lateral view, and the undivided apical portion of the phallus. These are the first records of species of Hydroptila from Northeastern Brazil.

Costatrichia Mosely, 1937 is a Neotropical genus included in the subfamily Leucotrichiinae. Previously, this genus included 14 described species, two from Brazil and eight from Costa Rica. Based on recent specimens collected with light traps in the Brazilian Amazon and Costa Rica, we describe two new species: Costatrichia ipixuna sp. nov. from the state of Amazonas, Brazil (C. lodora group) and C. falsa sp. nov. from Puntarenas, Costa Rica (C. simplex group). Costatrichia ipixuna sp. nov. is most similar to C. noite Angrisano, 1995, but can be distinguished by the shallower U-shaped incision on posterior margin of sternum VIII, by the absence of the lateral projection of the same segment bearing very long setae, and by the phallus with a pair of spine-like sclerotized processes apically. Costatrichia falsa sp. nov. is most similar to C. zopilote Harris & Holzenthal, 1999, but differs from it by the median pair of spines of segment VIII, directed mesad and curved posteriorly crossing over each other; by the irregular posterior margin of segment VIII, in ventral view; by the segment X without short lateral paired spines; and by the flange-like apical processes on phallus. In addition, we provide the first record of C. noite Angrisano, 1995 from Brazil (state of Amazonas).

Three new species of Hydroptilidae are herein described and illustrated from specimens collected with light traps in the states of Pará and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Flintiella carajas sp. nov., from Floresta Nacional de Carajás, shares with F. panamensis Harris, Flint & Holzenthal, 2002, F. tamaulipasa Harris, Flint & Holzenthal, 2002, F. yanamona Harris, Flint & Holzenthal, 2002, and F. manauara Santos & Nessimian, 2009 a deeply incised phallic apex. However, males can be distinguished by a ventromesal process on segment VII, by lacking dorsal hooked processes on segment IX, by the elongate subgenital plate, and by the lateral lobes of the phallic apex slightly curved laterad. Rhyacopsyche diacantha sp. nov. is closely related to R. yatay Angrisano, 1989 and R. garuhape Angrisano & Sganga, 2009. All three species have complex inferior appendages with ventral and dorsal lobes. The new species is distinguished by the male genitalia with segment X two times longer than broad, inferior appendages with the apices obliquely truncate, and a bilobed dorsal lobe on the inferior appendages. Features of the male genitalia of Rhyacopsyche angra sp. nov., R. hagenii and R. dikrosa are similar, but the first species can be distinguished by the inferior appendages truncate apically and produced laterad, and a phallus with the internal tubule hooked subapically and apically.

Costatrichia Mosely, 1937 (Leucotrichiini) is for the first time recorded from Brazil. Two new species are described: Costatrichia nelsonferreirai sp. nov. and C. fluminensis sp. nov. from states of Pará and Rio de Janeiro, respectively. Costatrichia nelsonferreirai sp. nov. is similar to C. bipartita Flint, 1970, but can be distinguished from the latter by a pair of ventrolateral bifurcate processes on the posterior margin of male segment VIII. Costatrichia fluminensis sp. nov. is similar to C. simplex Flint, 1970, but the former can be easily distinguished from the latter by a pair of slender lateral processes on the posterior margin of male segment IX and by a spatulate apical process on phallus.

Uma nova espécie de Protoptila Banks (Trichoptera: Glossosomatidae: Protoptilinae) - P. longispinata sp. nov. - é descrita e ilustrada a partir de espécimes coletados na Região Amazônica, estados do Amazonas e do Pará, Brasil.

A new species of Protoptila Banks (Trichoptera: Glossosomatidae: Protoptilinae) - P. longispinata sp. nov. - is described and illustrated from specimens collected in Amazon region, Amazonas and Pará states, Brazil.

Chimarra (Curgia) paucispina sp. nov., do grupo aurivittata Flint, 1998 é descrita e figurada a partir de exemplares provenientes do Estado do Amazonas. A chave para as espécies de Chimarra (Curgia) Walker, 1860 apresentada por Flint foi modificada para inclusão da nova espécie. Chimarra (Chimarrita) chela Blahnik, 1997 e Chimarra (Curgia) jugescens Flint, 1998 são pela primeira vez registradas para o Estado do Amazonas, sendo também o primeiro registro de C. chela para o Brasil.

Chimarra (Curgia) paucispina sp. nov., of the aurivittata group Flint, 1998 is described and illustrated from specimens collected in Amazonas State. The key to species of Chimarra (Curgia) Walker, 1860 presented by Flint was modified to include the new species. Chimarra (Chimarrita) chela Blahnik, 1997 and Chimarra (Curgia) jugescens Flint, 1998 are for first time reported for the Amazonas State. This is the first record of C. chela in Brazil.