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. 2025 Sep 10;54(1):96.
doi: 10.1007/s13744-025-01309-y.

Decoding Tupiperla illiesi Froehlich 1998 (Plecoptera: Gripopterygidae): Insights into Morphological Variation and Molecular Species Delimitation

Felipe Ribeiro Pereira Sarmento  1   2 , Tácio Duarte  3   4 , Ana Clara Pereira Teixeira  5 , Frederico Falcão Salles  6
Affiliations

Decoding Tupiperla illiesi Froehlich 1998 (Plecoptera: Gripopterygidae): Insights into Morphological Variation and Molecular Species Delimitation

Felipe Ribeiro Pereira Sarmento et al. Neotrop Entomol. .

Abstract

This study addresses historical uncertainties regarding morphological variation in the paraprocts of Tupiperla illiesi, a stonefly with a complex taxonomic history. We tested whether these variations represent phenotypic plasticity or distinct species using integrative taxonomy. Adult gripopterygids were collected from Estação Biológica de Boracéia utilizing Malaise and light traps. The morphology of the specimens was analyzed in accordance with existing literature, and selected individuals underwent DNA extraction, amplification, and sequencing of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) barcode region. Molecular distances were estimated using the Kimura 2-parameter model, and clustering was determined using Neighbor-Joining and Bayesian methods. Species delimitation was further refined using the SPdel pipeline. The combined analysis of COI sequence and morphological differences in the paraprocts led to the identification of distinct morphotypes within T. illiesi, resulting in the description of a new species, Tupiperla tucum sp. nov.

Keywords: Atlantic forest; COI mtDNA; Cryptic species; Species delineation; Taxonomy.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethical Approval: Not applicable. Conflict of interest: The authors declare no competing interests.

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