VoL 103, No. I, January & February, 1992 19 A PRELIMINARY SURVEY OF THE TRICHOPTERA OF THE OZARK MOUNTAINS, MISSOURI, U.S.A. 1 Michael L. Mathis 2 , David E. Bowles^ ABSTRACT: One hundred thirty-three species of caddisflies representing 15 families and 49 genera are reported from the Ozark Mountains of Missouri. Families exhibiting the greatest species richness included the Hydroptilidae (36 spp.), Leptoceridae (26 spp.), and Hydropsychidae (26 spp.). Sixty-four species are reported for the first time from the state. With regard to its trichopteran fauna, the central region west of the Mississippi River is one of the more poorly-studied areas in the United States. Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and South Dakota lack comprehensive species lists. In an attempt to increase our knowledge about caddisflies inhabiting this region, we initiated studies in moun-tainous areas of Oklahoma and Missouri. We report here on our results from the Ozark Mountains of Missouri. The Ozark Mountains are the northernmost range of the Interior Highlands extending southward from the Missouri River into northern Arkansas, westward into Oklahoma, and eastward into Illinois. Within Missouri, the Ozarks can be divided into two physiographic provinces, the Border and the Plateau (Fig. 1) (Thorn and Wilson 1980). The Ozark Border extends as a narrow band along the lower Missouri River east-ward to the Missippi River south of St. Louis. The larger Ozark Plateau lies south of the Border region encompassing most of the southern half of the state. Our collections were drawn primarily from the latter province, an area characterized by thin limestone soils and abundant clean streams and large volume springs (Johnson 1987). Agricultural impacts are min-imal, primarily consisting of small-scale livestock-rearing operations. Much of the area is incorporated into the Mark Twain National Forest and supports a mixed oak-hickory assemblage not subjected to whole-sale clearcutting. The combination of infertile, rugged landscapes not conducive to agriculture, minimal value of forest products, and relatively little urbanization or heavy industry has not encouraged large scale anthropogenic disturbances in this area. Five states bordering Missouri have comprehensive inventories of their Trichoptera; 153 species are reported from Arkansas (Unzickerer al. 1970; Bowles and Mathis 1989), 183 From Illinois (Ross 1944), 104 Deceived December 10, 1990. Accepted August 17, 1991. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701 U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine, Brooks A.F.B, San Antonio, Texas 78235 ENT. NEWS 103(1): 19-29, January & February, 1992
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