Trichoptera of Southeastern Brazil

Research Team

Ralph Holzenthal
Roger Blahnik
Henrique Paprocki
Aysha Prather

Tropical caddisfly systematic research is intriguing both in the possibility of discovery and because research results will ultimately benefit the health of tropical streams and rivers. The caddisfly fauna of one tropical country, Brazil, is scarcely known, with fewer than 350 species recorded from its 8.5 million square kilometers. The goal of this National Science Foundation-sponsored project (DEB 9971885) is to survey the caddisfly fauna of southeastern Brazil, including the states of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Espirito Santo, and Minas Gerais. About 175 species are recorded from southeastern Brazil, but an actual fauna of 750-1000 species from the southeastern states alone is a more reasonable estimate. Upon its completion, this inventory will have established a starting point for continued study of the Brazilian caddisfly fauna by establishing authoritative reference collections and through the training of new taxonomists to work in Brazil. Information from the faunal inventory will be directly useful in subsequent systematic and biogeographic studies and for establishing biomonitoring protocols.

The focus of the inventory will be adult caddisflies, because the taxonomy of the species is based on this stage in the life history, but attention will also be given to larval taxonomy. Two collecting trips, each of 2 months duration, are planned annually for 3 years. Standard blacklight collecting techniques, augmented by Malaise traps, alcohol pan traps, net, and larval collecting will be employed. All material collected from each trip will be sorted, identified, and the associated information entered into a database. The inventory will be coordinated with an ongoing survey of the state of São Paulo, the BIOTASP project.

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