Caribbean Amber Caddisflies - Biogeographical Aspects

Abstract

SummaryThe fossil fauna of Trichoptera of the Dominican amber and the present-day fauna of the Greater Antilles are composed of nearctic, neotropical and Ethiopian elements. All three elements were already present in the early Miocene. This indicates that the colonization by caddisflies from these three biogeographical regions progressed simultaneously with the development of the Greater Antilles and that the stormy development favoured endemic forms.