This paper describes the previously unknown larva of Hydropsyche doehleri Tobias 1972. Species association was enabled by the fact that both larval and adult specimens were collected at the same location and that H. doehleri was the only Hydropsychidae collected at this site, based on light-trap samples of adults. In addition, association of larvae with adult males and females were performed using DNA sequence data from the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase region. Information on the morphology of the larva is given, and the most important diagnostic features separating H. doehleri from its sister taxon H. siltalai Döhler 1963 are discussed. In both species, gills are lacking on abdominal segment VII. In the context of the Hydropsychidae key of Waringer Graf (2011), the two species can be separated by the morphology and coloration of the frontoclypeal apotome, and by their distribution patterns: whereas H. siltalai is widespread in Europe, H. doehleri has been reported from only France, Italy, and southern Switzerland (Tessin).                #We dedicate this paper to Univ. Prof. Dr Hans Malicky on the occasion of his 85th birthday.

Effective identification of species using short DNA fragments (DNA barcoding and DNA metabarcoding) requires reliable sequence reference libraries of known taxa. Both taxonomically comprehensive coverage and content quality are important for sufficient accuracy. For aquatic ecosystems in Europe, reliable barcode reference libraries are particularly important if molecular identification tools are to be implemented in biomonitoring and reports in the context of the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). We analysed gaps in the two most important reference databases, Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD) and NCBI GenBank, with a focus on the taxa most frequently used in WFD and MSFD. Our analyses show that coverage varies strongly among taxonomic groups, and among geographic regions. In general, groups that were actively targeted in barcode projects (e.g. fish, true bugs, caddisflies and vascular plants) are well represented in the barcode libraries, while others have fewer records (e.g. marine molluscs, ascidians, and freshwater diatoms). We also found that species monitored in several countries often are represented by barcodes in reference libraries, while species monitored in a single country frequently lack sequence records. A large proportion of species (up to 50%) in several taxonomic groups are only represented by private data in BOLD. Our results have implications for the future strategy to fill existing gaps in barcode libraries, especially if DNA metabarcoding is to be used in the monitoring of European aquatic biota under the WFD and MSFD. For example, missing species relevant to monitoring in multiple countries should be prioritized for future collaborative programs. We also discuss why a strategy for quality control and quality assurance of barcode reference libraries is needed and recommend future steps to ensure full utilisation of metabarcoding in aquatic biomonitoring.

The click-beetle family Elateridae is an abundant and ecologically important component of the saproxylic fauna, and many species are used as key indicators of old-growth forests, a rare and endangered habitat in Europe. Among Elateridae, the tribe Ampedini includes several species with unclear taxonomic status. Here we examined the species status and the relationships between 26 of the 29 Ampedini species recorded in Switzerland using both mitochondrial (CO1) and nuclear (ITS2) markers, and compared our results with the CO1 data publicly available for Europe. Our tree-based species-delimitation analysis was largely congruent with traditional, morphology-based species, with the ITS2 and the combined (CO1+ITS2) datasets corresponding more precisely to morphology than the CO1 dataset. As expected, species with unclear or debated taxonomic status generally corresponded to closely related DNA-based species pairs. Our results support the taxonomic status of some of these ambiguous species, while others require further investigations, including a more exhaustive sampling and new morphological examinations. The Ampedini species tree provided here, which is the first attempt of a DNA-based Ampedini phylogeny, did not support the genera Brachygonus and Ampedus as monophyletic, but further investigations are necessary to confirm this result.

Butterfly monitoring and Red List programs in Switzerland rely on a combination of observations and collection records to document changes in species distributions through time. While most butterflies can be identified using morphology, some taxa remain challenging, making it difficult to accurately map their distributions and develop appropriate conservation measures. In this paper, we explore the use of the DNA barcode (a fragment of the mitochondrial gene COI) as a tool for the identification of Swiss butterflies and forester moths (Rhopalocera and Zygaenidae). We present a national DNA barcode reference library including 868 sequences representing 217 out of 224 resident species, or 96.9% of Swiss fauna. DNA barcodes were diagnostic for nearly 90% of Swiss species. The remaining 10% represent cases of para- and polyphyly likely involving introgression or incomplete lineage sorting among closely related taxa. We demonstrate that integrative taxonomic methods incorporating a combination of morphological and genetic techniques result in a rate of species identification of over 96% in females and over 98% in males, higher than either morphology or DNA barcodes alone. We explore the use of the DNA barcode for exploring boundaries among taxa, understanding the geographical distribution of cryptic diversity and evaluating the status of purportedly endemic taxa. Finally, we discuss how DNA barcodes may be used to improve field practices and ultimately enhance conservation strategies.

Selected beetles, mainly weevils, from the Alpine Arc were barcoded. From 187 samples of 106 assigned species of the families Curculionidae (152 samples, mainly Entiminae, Cyclominae and Hyperinae), Carabidae (18), Apionidae (6), Chrysomelidae and Staphylinidae (each 1 sample), sequences from the COI (subunit 1 of the cytochrome oxydase gene) were obtained, with a success of more than 86% (162 samples). In the cases of Otiorhynchus pupillatus Gyllenhal, 1834, O. nodosus (O. F. Muller, 1764), O. meridionalis Gyllenhal, 1834, Dichotrachelus koziorowicziDesbrochers des Loges, 1873, D. augusti F. Solari, 1946 and D. maculosus Fairmaire, 1869 more diversity was hidden than foreseen in the beginning, suggesting partly cryptic (not yet described) species. One name is thus resurrected from junior synonymy (O. civisStierlin, 1861stat. rev. from synonymy with O. meridionalis). In another case with strictly parthenogenetically reproducing populations of O. pupillatus and O. nodosus in the Swiss Alps, several lineages from hypothetical postglacial immigration events, or alternatively complexes of species in statu nascendi might explain the results observed. Moreover, some morphologically debated species-pairs/triples confirmed to be problematic too, even with our COI sequence data [Hypera nigrirostris (Fabricius, 1775) – ononidis (Chevrolat, 1863) – melarynchus (Olivier, 1807)]. On the other hand, in some cases the lspecies' identity, based on the monophyly of the investigated populations, could be confirmed [Anthonomus rubi (Herbst, 1795), Polydrusus chaerodrysius Gredler, 1866, P. paradoxus Stierlin, 1859]. In the hyperdiverse genus Otiorhynchus Germar, 1822, some preliminary insights into the systematics at the subgenus-level could be made, suggesting that many changes of the present morphologically based systematic structure will be necessary.

The Swiss Barcode of Life initiative (SwissBOL) aims to inventory the genetic biodiversity in Switzerland using a short DNA sequence. DNA barcoding provides an additional tool for species identification that complements traditional morphological approaches. We report on the establishment of a DNA barcode library for Plecoptera, taxa that are of great importance as bioindicators of water quality and that often present difficulties in species-level identification for larvae and female specimens. Non-destructive DNA extraction, PCR amplification and sequencing of part of the mitochondrial gene Cytochrome Oxidase I (COI) was conducted for 440 individuals (one to eight per species) belonging to 90 species (of the 112 reported from Switzerland). Intra and interspecific distances were calculated and gene trees reconstructed. In most cases, COI was efficient in delimiting stonefly species. Some doubtful specimens were subsequently re-examined and a few misidentifications were found, especially in some problematic groups in the genus Leuctra Stephens, 1836. Larger genetic distances in some species (e.g. Leuctra nigra (Olivier 1811)) indicate the possible presence of sibling species, while in a few cases closely related species are genetically difficult to separate (within the Leuctra fusca species group).

Aquatic oligochaetes are well recognized bioindicators of quality of sediments and water in watercourses and lakes. However, the difficult taxonomic determination based on morphological features compromises their more common use in eco-diagnostic analyses. To overcome this limitation, we investigated molecular barcodes as identification tool for broad range of taxa of aquatic oligochaetes. We report 185 COI and 52 ITS2 rDNA sequences for specimens collected in Switzerland and belonging to the families Naididae, Lumbriculidae, Enchytraeidae and Lumbricidae. Phylogenetic analyses allowed distinguishing 41 lineages separated by more than 10 % divergence in COI sequences. The lineage distinction was confirmed by Automatic Barcode Gap Discovery (ABGD) method and by ITS2 data. Our results showed that morphological identification underestimates the oligochaete diversity. Only 26 of the lineages could be assigned to morphospecies, of which seven were sequenced for the first time. Several cryptic species were detected within common morphospecies. Many juvenile specimens that could not be assigned morphologically have found their home after genetic analysis. Our study showed that COI barcodes performed very well as species identifiers in aquatic oligochaetes. Their easy amplification and good taxonomic resolution might help promoting aquatic oligochaetes as bioindicators for next generation environmental DNA biomonitoring of aquatic ecosystems.