University of Southern Mississippi
Investigation of DNA Variability and Phylogenetic Relationships of Perlesta (Plecoptera: Perlidae) in Mississippi
Abstract
dc:description.abstract<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>
Degree
thesis:*- Name thesis:degree_name
- Master of Science (MS)
- Level thesis:degree_level
- Masters Thesis
- Year dc:date.available
- 2022
Author and committee
dc:creator, dc:contributor.*- Authors dc:creator
-
- Valentine, James C
- Alford, Mac H.
- Contributors dc:contributor
-
- Dr. Mac H. Alford
- Dr. Bill P. Stark
- Dr. Donald A. Yee
Subjects
dc:subject × 14Identifiers
dc:identifier.*- Repository record dc:identifier
- https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/894
- OAI identifier oai:identifier
- oai:aquila.usm.edu:masters_theses-1957