Morphological traits and vertical distribution of hyporheic chironomid larvae in Atlantic Forest streams

Vol. 32 No. 3 (2019)
Published: 27 August 2019
neotropical region, hyporheos, mini-piezometer, spatial distribution
Abstract Views: 150
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Authors

Riccardo Mugnai
mugnai.riccardo@gmail.com
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4476-3099
Labciclos/Limnologia, Centro de Ciências Agrarias e Ambientais, Universidade Federal do Maranhão, São Luís, MA, Brazil.
Arlindo Serpa-Filho
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3189-8004
Museu de Biologia Prof. Mello Leitão-SAMBIO, Santa Teresa, ES, Brazil.
Jorge Luiz Nessimian
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8795-2538
Laboratório de Entomologia, Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
Adriano Brilhante Kury
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8334-6204
Museu Nacional, Departamento Invertebrados, Laboratório Aracnologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
Silvia Vendruscolo Milesi
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9568-6476
Universidade Regional Integrada do Alto Uruguai e das Missões - Campus Erechim, Erechim, RS, Brazil.

Hyporheic zone is an active ecotone constituted by the interstitial spaces between the particles of the riverbed. The use of morphological traits can be useful to detect organisms distribution patterns in these areas. Information concerning hyporheic communities are scarce as well on chironomid vertical distribution. Fauna samples from the hyporheic zone were collected at three depths and in four microhabitats. Eighteen genera were recorded and 13 morphological traits were identified. The results indicate that the distribution patterns of hyporheic chironomid taxa vary according to depth and microhabitat. Spatial preferences for riffles habitats are evident, and the vertical distribution is correlated with morphological traits like body size, pseudopods and mentum. Faunal abundance and richness decreased with depth and the vertical distribution influenced the chironomid morphological traits. We conclude that the use of morphological trait can introduce new useful information about the distribution of hyporheic fauna.

http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:E1DDF958-AA8C-40FD-A0D5-F281AA4AEA04

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Mugnai, R., Serpa-Filho, A., Nessimian, J. L., Kury, A. B., & Vendruscolo Milesi, S. (2019). Morphological traits and vertical distribution of hyporheic chironomid larvae in Atlantic Forest streams. Tropical Zoology, 32(3), 119–134. Retrieved from https://www.pagepress.org/biology/tz/article/view/19

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