Culicidae mosquitoes are potential vectors of pathogens that affect human health. The correct species identification, as well as the discovery and description of cryptic species, is important in public health for the control and management of specific vectors. In the present study, the diversity of anthropophagous mosquitoes in Quintana Roo, at the border between Mexico and Belize, was evaluated using morphological and molecular data (COI‐DNA Barcoding). A total of 1,413 adult female specimens were collected, belonging to eight genera and 31 morphospecies. Most species formed well‐supported clades. Intraspecific Kimura 2 parameters (K2P) distance average was 0.75%, and a maximum distance of 4.40% was observed for Anopheles crucianss.l. ABGD method identified 28 entities, while 32 entities were identified with the BIN system. In Culex interrogator and Culex nigripalpus a low interspecific genetic distance of 0.1% was observed. One undescribed species belonging to the genus Aedes (Aedesn. sp.) was discovered, but no clear genetic divergence was found between this species and the closely related species Aedes angustivittatus. An intraspecific K2P distance greater than 2.7% was observed in Aedes serratus(3.9%), Anopheles crucianss.l. (4.4%), Culex taeniopus (3.7%), Haemagogus equinus (3.9%), Culex erraticus (5.0%), Psorophora ferox (4.5%), and in Anopheles apicimacula(8.10%); therefore, evidences of cryptic diversity are shown in these species. This study showed that DNA barcodes offer a reliable framework for mosquito species identification in Quintana Roo, except for some closely related species for which it is recommended to use additional nuclear genetic markers such as ITS2, in order to resolve these small discrepancies.

Nematode biodiversity is mostly unknown; while about 20,000 nematode species have been described, estimates for species diversity range from 0.1 to 100 million. The study of nematode diversity, like that of meiofaunal organisms in general, has been mostly based on morphology-based taxonomy, a time-consuming and costly task that requires well-trained specialists. This work represents the first study on the taxonomy of Mexican nematodes that integrates morphological and molecular data. We added eleven new records to the Mexican Caribbean nematode species list: Anticomidae sp.1, Catanema sp.1, Enoploides gryphus, Eurystomina sp.1, Haliplectus bickneri, Metachromadora sp.1, Odontophora bermudensis, Oncholaimus sp.1, Onyx litorale, Proplatycoma fleurdelis, and Pontonema cf. simile. We improved the COI database with 57 new sequences from 20 morphotypes. All COI sequences obtained in this work are new entries for the international genetic databases GenBank and BOLD. Among the studied sites, we report the most extensive species record (12 species) at Cozumel. DNA barcoding and species delineation methods supported the occurrence of 20 evolutionary independent entities and confirmed the high taxonomic resolution of the COI gene. Different approaches provided consistent results: ABGD and mPTP methods disentangled 20 entities, whereas Barcode Index Numbers (BINs) recovered 22 genetic species. Results support DNA barcoding being an efficient, fast, and low-cost method to integrate into morphological observations in order to address taxonomical shortfalls in meiofaunal organisms.

In Mexico the Psorophora genus includes 24 species divided into 3 subgenera: Grabhamia, Janthinosoma, and Psorophora. Some species occur in the Nearctic region of the country (northern Mexico), whereas other species occur in the Neotropical region (southern Mexico), and a few species occur in both regions. In Quintana Roo, Mexico, 7 species have been previously recorded: Ps. confinnis s.s., Ps. champerico, Ps. cyanescens, Ps. ferox, Ps. lutzii, Ps. ciliata, and Ps. lineata. In October 2013, 24 females of Ps. albipes were collected using CDC light traps. This is the first record of this species in Quintana Roo.

Con base en identificación morfológica y análisis molecular de ejemplares recolectados en la zonaurbana de la ciudad de Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, informamos del primer registro de la rana de invernadero(Eleutherodactylus planirostris) en el Caribe mexicano. La presencia de E. planirostris en la península de Yucatánsugiere la necesidad de realizar urgentemente una investigación para evaluar su invasión y los posibles impactosecológicos que puedan suscitarse.