The genus Perlesta Banks, 1906 (Plecoptera: Perlidae) consists of 35 species, 33 native to the United States and Canada and two native to China. For over a century these small, brown stonefly adults and freckled yellow nymphs have gone by the name of the type species of the genus, Perlesta placida, but taxonomic work in the genus since 1989 has resulted in the recognition of additional species. These species were mostly recognized and described using morphological characteristics, but two areas that are lacking include (1) linking nymphs to adults and (2) phylogenetic analysis of all species occurring in Mississippi using DNA data. Three species of Perlesta have been reported for Mississippi (P. lagoi, P. placida, and P. shubuta), but P. placida has no DNA sequences in public DNA repositories. In this project, DNA was gathered from nymphs, females, and males of Perlesta collected in Mississippi to assess their utility for DNA barcoding (linking members of a species by consistent, diagnostic DNA sequences) and to infer a phylogeny using nuclear and mitochondrial DNA. This study revealed a broader degree of molecular variation in individuals from Mississippi relative to species from other states, which suggests greater infraspecific DNA variation in these species or possibly the presence of cryptic species.
","abstract_html":"<p>The genus <em>Perlesta</em> Banks, 1906 (Plecoptera: Perlidae) consists of 35 species, 33 native to the United States and Canada and two native to China. For over a century these small, brown stonefly adults and freckled yellow nymphs have gone by the name of the type species of the genus, <em>Perlesta placida</em>, but taxonomic work in the genus since 1989 has resulted in the recognition of additional species. These species were mostly recognized and described using morphological characteristics, but two areas that are lacking include (1) linking nymphs to adults and (2) phylogenetic analysis of all species occurring in Mississippi using DNA data. Three species of <em>Perlesta</em> have been reported for Mississippi (<em>P. lagoi</em>, <em>P. placida</em>, and <em>P. shubuta</em>), but <em>P. placida</em> has no DNA sequences in public DNA repositories. In this project, DNA was gathered from nymphs, females, and males of <em>Perlesta</em> collected in Mississippi to assess their utility for DNA barcoding (linking members of a species by consistent, diagnostic DNA sequences) and to infer a phylogeny using nuclear and mitochondrial DNA. This study revealed a broader degree of molecular variation in individuals from Mississippi relative to species from other states, which suggests greater infraspecific DNA variation in these species or possibly the presence of cryptic species.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Valentine, James C","Alford, Mac H."],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science (MS)","degree_level":"Masters Thesis","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Dr. Mac H. Alford","Dr. Bill P. Stark","Dr. Donald A. Yee"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2022,"date_issued":"2022-05-12T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2022-05-12T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:45:33Z","subjects":["DNA barcoding","cryptic species","EPT","COI","16S","aquatic insects","Ecology and Evolutionary Biology","Entomology","Evolution","Genetics","Molecular Biology","Molecular Genetics","Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology","Zoology"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/894","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Dr. Mac H. Alford","Dr. Bill P. Stark","Dr. Donald A. Yee"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Valentine, James C","Alford, Mac H."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2022-05-12T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Masters Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science (MS)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["DNA barcoding","cryptic species","EPT","COI","16S","aquatic insects","Ecology and Evolutionary Biology","Entomology","Evolution","Genetics","Molecular Biology","Molecular Genetics","Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology","Zoology"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/894"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The genus Perlesta Banks, 1906 (Plecoptera: Perlidae) consists of 35 species, 33 native to the United States and Canada and two native to China. For over a century these small, brown stonefly adults and freckled yellow nymphs have gone by the name of the type species of the genus, Perlesta placida, but taxonomic work in the genus since 1989 has resulted in the recognition of additional species. These species were mostly recognized and described using morphological characteristics, but two areas that are lacking include (1) linking nymphs to adults and (2) phylogenetic analysis of all species occurring in Mississippi using DNA data. Three species of Perlesta have been reported for Mississippi (P. lagoi, P. placida, and P. shubuta), but P. placida has no DNA sequences in public DNA repositories. In this project, DNA was gathered from nymphs, females, and males of Perlesta collected in Mississippi to assess their utility for DNA barcoding (linking members of a species by consistent, diagnostic DNA sequences) and to infer a phylogeny using nuclear and mitochondrial DNA. This study revealed a broader degree of molecular variation in individuals from Mississippi relative to species from other states, which suggests greater infraspecific DNA variation in these species or possibly the presence of cryptic species.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Investigation of DNA Variability and Phylogenetic Relationships of Perlesta (Plecoptera: Perlidae) in Mississippi"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Dr. Mac H. Alford","Dr. Bill P. Stark","Dr. Donald A. Yee"],"dc:creator":["Valentine, James C","Alford, Mac H."],"dc:date.available":["2022-05-12T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["The genus Perlesta Banks, 1906 (Plecoptera: Perlidae) consists of 35 species, 33 native to the United States and Canada and two native to China. For over a century these small, brown stonefly adults and freckled yellow nymphs have gone by the name of the type species of the genus, Perlesta placida, but taxonomic work in the genus since 1989 has resulted in the recognition of additional species. These species were mostly recognized and described using morphological characteristics, but two areas that are lacking include (1) linking nymphs to adults and (2) phylogenetic analysis of all species occurring in Mississippi using DNA data. Three species of Perlesta have been reported for Mississippi (P. lagoi, P. placida, and P. shubuta), but P. placida has no DNA sequences in public DNA repositories. In this project, DNA was gathered from nymphs, females, and males of Perlesta collected in Mississippi to assess their utility for DNA barcoding (linking members of a species by consistent, diagnostic DNA sequences) and to infer a phylogeny using nuclear and mitochondrial DNA. This study revealed a broader degree of molecular variation in individuals from Mississippi relative to species from other states, which suggests greater infraspecific DNA variation in these species or possibly the presence of cryptic species.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/894"],"dc:subject":["DNA barcoding","cryptic species","EPT","COI","16S","aquatic insects","Ecology and Evolutionary Biology","Entomology","Evolution","Genetics","Molecular Biology","Molecular Genetics","Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology","Zoology"],"dc:title":["Investigation of DNA Variability and Phylogenetic Relationships of Perlesta (Plecoptera: Perlidae) in Mississippi"],"thesis:degree_level":["Masters Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science (MS)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:45:33Z"}