Transantarctic Relationships in the Plecoptera

• Main Author: Zwick, P.
• Format: Book Part
• Language: English
• Published: 1989
• Subjects: Antarc*
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/11858/00-001M-0000-000F-CA71-2

In the past, several authors have suggested that distributions of some families of Plecoptera provide good evidence for the former existence of Gondwanaland. Some of this presumed evidence relied on incorrect assumptions of phylogenetic relationships and was subsequently disproven or strongly weakened by cladistic analysis. At the same time, cladistic analysis has provided very good evidence from the distribution and affinities of the families of the suborder Antarctoperlaria. In most subgroups of Antarctoperlaria diversity is too low for a finer analysis, but the Leptoperloidea appear promising for a more detailed study of phylogeny and distribution. However, present knowledge is inadequate and existing infra-familial classifications are at best tentative. Future research in leptoperloidean phylogeny is particularly interesting but a challenging task that will require new lines of research. Some possibilities are suggested.