Trichoptera are important components of freshwater ecosystems. In the Neartic, Trichoptera taxonomy is almost completely known, and they are extensively used as biological indicators of water quality. Fewer advances have been made in the Neotropics where environmental threats are eminent and Trichoptera diversity is higher. I am conducting a faunistic inventory of the Trichoptera of Nicaragua. Nicaragua is the largest Central American country and has conserved most of its rainforests, which are now highly threatened. At the beginning of the inventory 119 Trichoptera species had been recorded for Nicaragua, versus 480 species recorded for Costa Rica. Nicaragua and Costa Rica share a common border and have similar geography and climate. Black lights are used to attract night flying adults which are collected in alcohol pan traps or cyanide jars. Preliminary results have increased the number of Trichoptera known in Nicaragua to 140 species, and this number continuous to increase with the examination of more collections. Several undescribed species have also been found. Taxonomic knowledge of this region’s Trichoptera fauna will provide baseline data necessary for future biomonitoring and conservation studies.
Species 1: Trichoptera (caddisflies)
Keywords: Faunistic, Inventory
The ESA 2001 Annual Meeting - 2001: An Entomological Odyssey of ESA