DNA barcoding of Elmidae (Insecta: Coleoptera: Polyphaga)
Elmis rietscheli
Elmidae are the dominant beetle family in running waters. Elmid species are widely used as bioindicators for assessing water quality, and for monitoring running water ecosystems. Yet, many species are difficult to identify morphologically, and preliminary molecular studies have shown that there is a considerable number of cryptic species in various genera of Elmidae. In Austria, 21 elmid species have been recorded so far. DNA barcoding will contribute to the knowledge of potentially rare, endemic and/or endangered species of water beetles in Central Europe, being essential in establishing projects on conservation of aquatic biotopes.
Furthermore, through the cooperation with the Croatian group, better insight will be gained into the processes of speciation of water beetles in the Dinaric karst, which represents an ecologically and hydromorphologically most interesting area of Europe.
Collaboration
Dr. Vlatka Mičetić Stanković
Croatian Natural History Museum, Zagreb, Croatia
Dr. Branka Bruvo Mađarić
Rudjer Bošković Institute, Zagreb, Croatia
(c) M. Sonnleitner
