Diversity of mitochondrial and larval morphology characters in the genus Diplectrona (Trichoptera: Hydropsychidae) in the eastern United States

Larvae of species in the caddisfly genus Diplectrona (Trichoptera: Hydropsychidae) are morphologically variable and found in a variety of different lotic habitats across eastern N. America. DNA sequencing of a 658-base pair region of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase c subunit I gene revealed 7 haplotype groups within the genus Diplectrona: Four with larvae similar to Diplectrona modesta Banks, two with larvae similar to D. metaqui Ross, and one that is a putative match to D. marianae Reeves. These results provide initial evidence supporting the need for a revision of the genus Diplectrona in N. America, and also possibly for the existence of cryptic diversity within currently recognized Diplectrona species. We discuss these results within the context of the intersection of bioassessment, molecular and morphological taxonomy, and the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. © Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2012