Caddis flies (Trichoptera) from the Dominican Republic (West Indies). II. All families except Hydroptilidae; with general observations for Hispaniola

Abstract

This is the second part of the results of a travel (1995) to the Dominican Republic devoted to study of Trichoptera. All families except Hydroptilidae are dealt with; 30 taxa were recognized, several new for Hispaniola or for the Dominican Republic, 5 species and one subspecies being described as new for science in the genera Cariboptila, Chimarra, Antillopsyche, Hydropsyche, and Helicopsyche. A final part of the paper deals with: diversity of the Caddis Fly fauna of Haiti, of the Dominican Republic, of Hispaniola as a whole; affinities and vicariance of the Hispaniolan fauna (some considerations on the origin of the Greater Antillean Hydropsyche and Antillopsyche are in the descriptive part); recognition in Hispaniola of two main zones with diverse, distinctive fauna and high level of endemism; the alarming problems concerning survival and protection of freshwater habitats and fauna in the two countries.