A Checklist of the Caddisflies (Insecta: Trichoptera) from the Middle and Lower Basins of Jinsha River, Southwestern China; Including One New Species and Nine New Records in China^†

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

I see no major problems with the research direction, methodology, and results of this study itself. (The English language could use improvement.) On the other hand, this paper is a description of the catalog of a local minor taxon, even though it includes a new species description. For this reason, the general interest of this paper seems not to be high, and I evaluate the paper as lacking scientific importance for an article to be described in this journal, which has an impact factor of more than 3.

 

Author Response

Responses to reviewer1

 

I see no major problems with the research direction, methodology, and results of this study itself.

(The English language could use improvement.) On the other hand, this paper is a description of the catalog of a local minor taxon, even though it includes a new species description. For this reason, the general interest of this paper seems not to be high, and I evaluate the paper as lacking scientific importance for an article to be described in this journal, which has an impact factor of more than 3.

RESPONSE: Thanks, Freshwater habitats account for less than 1% of the Earth’s surface area but are inhabited by 10% of the known animal species, of which 60% are aquatic insects. The life histories of aquatic insects usually span terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. As a result, they provide unique ecological services for terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems simultaneously as consumers of autotrophs, scavengers, predators and pollinators. Some aquatic insects such as Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera are very sensitive to pollution and are widely used bioindicators for water quality monitoring and assessment. Trichoptera Kirby, 1834 is the seventh most species-rich order of Insecta, with more than 16,000 extant species belonging to 52 extant families worldwide. Its species diversity is greater than the combined total of all the other completely aquatic insect orders (Odonata, Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Megaloptera). This checklist is the first one of the southwestern China and the Jinsha River, and it provides a preliminary database for further biodiversity researching and water biomonitoring. Therefore, it is necessary to study the diversity of Trichoptera.

Reviewer 2 Report

Dear authors,

A number of changes are required in the text of your manuscript.

First of all, you should clarify the transliteration of geographical names. In most cases, they are given with a hyphen in the text. However, the same name can occur both ways in the manuscript, like Sichuan (line 19) and Si-chuan (line 122) / Yun-nan (line 19) and Yunnan (line 28).

 I assume that the geographical names of China should be without a hyphen. In my opinion this will be a more generally accepted form. However, I can be wrong, you know this moment better. Please, clarify.

Line 169. “…. Si-chuan for-nan Province”. What means “for-nan”? I suppose that here is an error.

In the materials and methods, you should add the identification keys or other sources that you used to identify the species. Otherwise, it is unclear how the species were identified.

Author Response

Responses to reviewer2

 

Comments 1: First of all, you should clarify the transliteration of geographical names. In most cases, they are given with a hyphen in the text. However, the same name can occur both ways in the manuscript, like Sichuan (line 19) and Si-chuan (line 122) / Yun-nan (line 19) and Yunnan (line 28).

RESPONSE: Thanks, we have added.

 

Comments 2: I assume that the geographical names of China should be without a hyphen. In my opinion this will be a more generally accepted form. However, I can be wrong, you know this moment better. Please, clarify.

RESPONSE: Accepted.

 

Comments 3: Line 169. “…. Si-chuan for-nan Province”. What means “for-nan”? I suppose that here is an error.

RESPONSE: Fixed.

 

Comments 4: In the materials and methods, you should add the identification keys or other sources that you used to identify the species. Otherwise, it is unclear how the species were identified.

RESPONSE: Thanks, we have revised.

Reviewer 3 Report

Faunistic studies are very important sources for biogeographic considerations. Much more of such studies are needed, especially when single rivers or other water bodies are examined. However, the permanent value of such studies lies in a nearly complete coverage of the existing fauna. This is by no means reached in the present study. The 23 recorded species is only a glimpse of the in reality occurring species. My expections on the fauna of the river is, that  much more than 100 species are present.

In addition, the collecting efforts are lacking day collecting activities, which is necessary for obtaining day-flying species, which do not come to light.

I myself would not have submitted this manuscript with such a low number of species at hand.

 

Author Response

Responses to reviewer3

 

Faunistic studies are very important sources for biogeographic considerations. Much more of such studies are needed, especially when single rivers or other water bodies are examined. However, the permanent value of such studies lies in a nearly complete coverage of the existing fauna. This is by no means reached in the present study. The 23 recorded species is only a glimpse of the in reality occurring species. My expectations on the fauna of the river is, that much more than 100 species are present. In addition, the collecting efforts are lacking day collecting activities, which is necessary for obtaining day-flying species, which do not come to light. I myself would not have submitted this manuscript with such a low number of species at hand.

RESPONSE: This trichopteran species list may still be considered preliminary for the river and region, since no material was sampled in the major eclosion period of caddisflies (June to August). There is a lot of area rich in streams that has and suitable water environment and a warm climate in southwestern China, which are good natural conditions suitable for their growth. Upon this list, anyhow, the basin researched here is believed having much more species of Trichoptera. In the future, we still need to increase the proportion of sweep netting and Malaise trapping in the collection operations, which will provide more sufficient material for our understanding the biodiversity of this basins.

Reviewer 4 Report

This checklist provides the first one of the region and river, and it is good to publish. Some concerns are: 

(1) The abstract and conclusion say there are ten families in the list, but there are 11 family names in the result.  Those data are not consistent and should be improved. 

(2) Some specimens are not presented with number.

(3) Some abbreviations are not consistent, like PR or P. R..

(4) Some "commons (,) " is missing between namer and naming year of the species names.

(5) In this digital era, the new species habitus photo should be provided at least, not just drawing illustration.

(6) The conclusion should be rephrased because it is very similar to the abstract.

(7) This list is upon materials not just "compiled one". This point should be stated clearly in the text. 

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

Responses to reviewer4

 

Comments 1: The abstract and conclusion say there are ten families in the list, but there are 11 family names in the result. Those data are not consistent and should be improved.

RESPONSE: Thank you for your comments, we have revised.

 

Comments 2: Some specimens are not presented with number.

RESPONSE: Fixed.

 

Comments 3: Some abbreviations are not consistent, like PR or P. R..

RESPONSE: Thanks, we have revised.

 

Comments 4: Some "commons (,) " is missing between namer and naming year of the species names.

RESPONSE: Fixed.

 

Comments 5: In this digital era, the new species habitus photo should be provided at least, not just drawing illustration.

RESPONSE: Thank you for your valuable comments. We have added habitus photo in figure3.

 

Comments 6: The conclusion should be rephrased because it is very similar to the abstract.

RESPONSE: Thanks, we have revised.

 

Comments 7: This list is upon materials not just "compiled one". This point should be stated clearly in the text.

RESPONSE: Thanks, we have revised.