Systematics, divergence dating and historical biogeography of Ochrotrichiinae (Trichoptera: Hydroptilidae) based on morphological and molecular data

Hydroptilidae are the most diverse family of Trichoptera, with over 2600 species. As currently defined, Ochrotrichiinae comprise around 430 species in nine genera. The subfamily is well represented in the Neotropics, with some representatives in the Nearctic and Australasian regions, including a genus endemic to New Caledonia. We present here phylogenetic analyses based on 109 morphological characters and DNA sequences of five gene fragments: cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI; 654 bp), carbamoylphosphate synthetase (823 bp), the 1α subunit of elongation factor (375 bp), RNA polymerase‐II (768 bp) and the ribosomal subunit 28S rRNA, domain 1 (343 bp). The combined matrix included 89 species and 3072 characters of all nine Ochrotrichiinae genera as well as representatives of outgroups of the other hydroptilid subfamilies and a glossosomatid species. Molecular data was obtained for 74 species (at least one gene fragment). All Bayesian inference and Maximum likelihood analyses performed strongly support a monophyletic Ochrotrichiinae with the exclusion of Dibusa Ross, which was recovered among Stactobiinae taxa. The first diversification of Ochrotrichiinae was estimated for the early Cretaceous, around 116 million years ago (Ma) and the ancestral distribution range was the New World. The Australian lineage is probably the result of trans‐Antarctic dispersal, with the split between Ochrotrichia Mosely and the Australasian Caledonotrichia Sykora + Maydenoptila Neboiss estimated at around 98 Ma. The endemic Caledonotrichia is likely a result of a recent dispersal event from Australia, with initial diversification around 51 Ma, in line with current understanding of re‐emergence of Grande Terre and availability of habitats around 60 Ma onwards.