Insights into species diversity of the genus Hydropsyche Pictet, 1834 (Hydropsychidae,Trichoptera) from the Lake Kinneret catchment (Israel)

Species identification based on larval stages of aquatic insects in Israel is difficult, given the paucity of taxonomic studies. In order to gain deeper understanding of biological processes in Israel's freshwater ecosystems and to develop a bioindication system, species have to be known and characterised at all life stages. Here, we applied an integrative morphological and genetic approach to characterise caddisflies of the genus Hydropsyche Pictet, 1834 from the Lake Kinneret catchment. Seventeen sites in the Lake Kinneret catchment were sampled in spring/summer 2015 and 2016. For 77 hydropsychid larvae and two adult specimens of H. yahfufah Malicky, 2001, we analysed a 658 bp fragment of the mitochondrial COI gene and compared the results of different genetic species delimitation methods to observed morphological variation. Our results suggest the presence of at least five species. This study is an important first step towards assessing stream biodiversity of a yet largely understudied region and highlights advantages of integrative taxonomic approaches.