DNA barcoding and first records of two rare Adicella species (Trichoptera: Leptoceridae) in Croatia

Two species of the genus Adicella, A. cremisa Malicky, 1972 and A. balcanica Botosaneanu & Novak, 1965, were recorded in the summer period of 2014 which represent the first records of these species in Croatia. The former was collected at two relatively distant sites, the Krapina and the Zrmanja rivers, while the later was collected at the Krupa River. Both species were identified by morphological characteristics as well as DNA barcoding method. We calculated the uncorrected pairwise distances within Adicella and used molecular phylogenetic approach to delimit species. A. cremisa from Croatia showed no significant difference in the mtCOI region and they are highly similar to A. cremisa from Italy. Additionally, the ecological preferences and distribution of Adicella species are presented. Our findings represent a significant contribution to the aquatic biodiversity of the Western Balkans.