Leptophlebiidae ( Insecta : Ephemeroptera ) from state of Bahia , Brazil

Leptophlebiidae is the family with the most diversity of species and wide distribution in the Southern Hemisphere. There are 95 species of Leptophlebiidae recorded in Brazil, but for the state of Bahia there are only 21 species. A check list and new records of Leptophlebiidae (Ephemeroptera) are presented to the State of Bahia. A total of 16 genera and 40 species of Leptophlebiidae were identified on this study. The species Fittkaulus cururuensis, Hylister obliquus, Miroculis (atroari) duckensis and Miroculis (Ommaethus) froehlichi are reported for the first time to the State of Bahia, increasing the number of Leptophlebiidae species from 21 to 25. Now, the Bahia is one of the states with the largest number of Leptophlebiidae species records, behind only of the state of Espírito Santo which has 26 species of this family.


Introduction
The family Leptophlebiidae composes the most diverse group of Ephemeroptera on Neotropical region, with wide distribution and greater diversity in the Southern Hemisphere (Domínguez et al. 2006).In South America, the family is represented by 43 genera and 168 species, all belonging to the subfamily Atalophlebiinae and Terpidinae (Domínguez et al. 2013, Salles et al. 2017).Among the genera described for South America, 26 of them are recorded in Brazil, being Miroculis Edmunds and Thraulodes Ulmer, the most representative genera in the country in number of described species (Lopes et al. 2007, Salles et al. 2017).
Due to the importance of the family in relation to ecology, conservation of aquatic environments and considering the limited knowledge of the taxonomy of the group in Bahia, this study aims to present an inventory of the fauna the family Leptophlebiidae (Ephemeroptera: Insecta) in state of Bahia.
Studies involving the diversity of aquatic insects are important for biodiversity.The Ephemeroptera distribution and diversity knowledge in Brazil are still incipient as well discussed by some authors (Mariano and Polegatto 2011, Lima et al. 2010, Salles et al. 2014, Campos et al. 2016).This occurs not just in mayflies but also in others groups of aquatic insects such as Trichoptera (Calor 2011) and Plecoptera (Froehlich 2011).Most of this gap probably is due the few projects developed in the Northeast region, as well as the lack of specific groups of researchers in this region.This work shows that there is a lot to be done since of all the previously registered Leptophlebiidae species for the State of Bahia, only four of them were described with material collected from the state (H.angeli, T. luizgonzagai, S. diamantinensis and S. janae).

Material and Methods
The material examined was obtained between 2008 and 2016 in 23 municipalities from state of Bahia, Brazil.All material is deposited in the collection of the Laboratório de Organismos Aquáticos from Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Ilhéus, State of Bahia, Brazil (LOA/UESC).The nymphs were collected using D-shaped nets and the adults were collected with light trap and light pan trap (Calor & Mariano 2012), then all material was preserved in ethyl alcohol 80%.Male legs, genitalia and nymphal parts were dissected and mounted in Euparal; wings were mounted dry.The identification of the species were based according to Domínguez et al. 2006 and other specific papers.
The samples were made in lentic and lotic environments, in different substrates (litter deposited in the bottom of the bed, litter retained in areas of stream, sand, stone and roots).When possible, some nymphs were reared in the field with the aim to obtain the subimago stage and later the imago for possible associations between it.The collections had SISBIO Authorization number 24195-1.

Study area
The State of Bahia (Figure 1) is located in the northeastern region of Brazil, covering an area of 564,692,669 km 2 , thus the largest State in the territorial extension of the Northeast region and approximately 7% of the national territory.The state presents three biomes: Atlantic Forest and Savanna (Cerrado and Caatinga), as well as the Coastal Zone, with its ecosystems that are repeated all along the coast.The vegetation is distinguished by a great diversity of ecosystems, rupestrian fields, mangrove, transition areas, as well as seasonal forests and ecosystems such as: beaches and mangroves.The study was carried out in the State of Bahia in the municipalities listed in Table 1.There were 43 collection points between varied water bodies, i.e. streams, rivers and waterfalls (Figure 2).(SEI 2017).

Results and Discussion
After the compilation of species records for the State (Da-Silva 1992; Da-Silva, Salles & Polegatto 2008;Lima et al. 2012;Mariano & Costa 2014;Almeida et al. 2016;Campos et al. 2016;Lima et al. 2016;Campos et al. 2017, Salles et al. 2017) and the material deposited at MZUESC, a table with all the occurrence and new records of mayfly species from state Bahia is provided below (Table 2).For each species we list the data of geographical distribution and the reference.
A total of 5.746 specimens from the 43 sites were collected, distributed in 16 genera and 40 species of Leptophlebiidae were founded on this work (Table 2.).From these 40 morphotypes, 25 were identified in species and 10 identified in morphotypes because we are not able to determine the species, mostly because of the undescribed stage of some Leptophlebiidae species.Besides there are four new species in process of description.The new records are: Fittkaulus cururuensis, Hylister obliquus, Miroculis (Atroari) duckensis, and Miroculis (Ommaethus) froehlichi.Four new species are in description process, i.e.Miroculis (Miroculis) sp.nov., Needhamella sp.nov., Paramaka sp.nov.and Ulmeritoides sp.nov.. Now, Bahia has 25 species of Leptohlebiidae and is one of the states with the largest number of Leptophlebiidae species records, together with the state of Espírito Santos which has 26 species of Leptophlebiidae (Salles et al. 2017).Ul. saopaulensis (Traver, 1946) -MG, SP, BA (Maracás) Campos et al. 2017

Figure 1 .
Figure 1.Sampling sites in the State of Bahia region where Leptophlebiidae (Insecta: Ephemeroptera) species were collected.