Results of the Austrian-Ceylonese hydrobiological mission 1970 of the 1st Zoological Institute of the University of Vienna (Austria) and the Department of Zoology of the University of Ceylon Vidyalankara Campus, Kelaniya (Sri Lanka). Pt. 16. the Ceylonese Trichoptera

The Trichoptera collected in Sri Lanka by the Austrian Indo-Pacific expedition in autumn and winter 1970 (larvae and adults) are evaluated systematically and ecologically. The following new species are described: Pseudoneureclipsis starmuehlneri, P. maliboda (Polycentropodidae), Oecetis belihuloya (Leptoceridae), and Helcopsyche sri lanka (Helicopsychidae). Helicopsyche ceylanica Brauer 1866 is re-described. Several types of larvae and cases of Hydropsyche (Hydropsychidae), Ceylanopsyche (Sericostomatidae) and Helicopsyche are described or at least roughly characterised. According to the larval characters the genus Ceylanopsyche seems to belong to Sericostomatidae s. str

The altitudinal distribution of Trichoptera species in Mae Klang catchment on Doi Inthanon, Northern Thailand : stream zonation and cool- and warm-adapted groups : studies on caddisflies of Thailand no 16

La distribution altudinale des Trichoptères du bassin du Mae Klang qui s'étage entre 400 et 2300 m d'altitude est décrite. C'est probablement la première publication sur ce thème réalisée en zone tropicale et fondée sur une recherche faunistique complète. La plupart des familles de Trichoptères sont représentées par une série d'espèces se succédant des plus hautes aux plus basses stations. Les groupes "adapté au froid" et "adapté au chaud" sensu Ross sont hypothétiques et n'existent probablement pas. Mais il y a des espèces adaptées au froid ou au chaud. Cela est particulièrement net dans le genre #Rhyacophila qui était considéré comme "adapté au froid" et dans le genre #Chimarra qui était considéré comme "adapté au chaud". Nos résultats n'indiquent aucune différence entre ces deux genres. Nous avons rencontré les richesses spécifiques maximales aux altitudes intermédiaires sur le Mae Klang, entre 1200 et 1700 m, où la variation de la température de l'eau est minimale. (D'après résumé d'auteur

Ecological divergence of Chaetopteryx rugulosa species complex (Insecta, Trichoptera) linked to climatic niche diversification

Climate is often considered to be an important, but indirect driver of speciation. Indeed, environmental factors may contribute to the formation of biodiversity, but to date this crucial relationship remains largely unexplored. Here we investigate the possible role of climate, geological factors, and biogeographical processes in the formation of a freshwater insect species group, the Chaetopteryx rugulosa species complex (Trichoptera) in the Western Balkans. We used multi-locus DNA sequence data to establish a dated phylogenetic hypothesis for the group. The comparison of the dated phylogeny with the geological history of the Western Balkans shows that lineage formation coincided with major past Earth surface and climatic events in the region. By reconstructing present-day habitat conditions (climate, bedrock geology), we show that the lineages of C. rugulosa species complex have distinct climatic but not bedrock geological niches. Without exception, all splits associated with Pliocene/Pleistocene transition led to independent, parallel split into ‘warm’ and ‘cold’ sister lineages. This indicates a non-random diversification on the C. rugulosa species complex associated with late Pliocene climate in the region. We interpreted the results as the diversification of the species complex were mainly driven by ecological diversification linked to past climate change, along with geographical isolation

Longitudinal river zonation in the tropics: examples of fish and caddisflies from endorheic Awash river, Ethiopia

Primary Research PaperSpecific concepts of fluvial ecology are well studied in riverine ecosystems of the temperate zone but poorly investigated in the Afrotropical region. Hence, we examined the longitudinal zonation of fish and adult caddisfly (Trichoptera) assemblages in the endorheic Awash River (1,250 km in length), Ethiopia. We expected that species assemblages are structured along environmental gradients, reflecting the pattern of large-scale freshwater ecoregions. We applied multivariate statistical methods to test for differences in spatial species assemblage structure and identified characteristic taxa of the observed biocoenoses by indicator species analyses. Fish and caddisfly assemblages were clustered into highland and lowland communities, following the freshwater ecoregions, but separated by an ecotone with highest biodiversity. Moreover, the caddisfly results suggest separating the heterogeneous highlands into a forested and a deforested zone. Surprisingly, the Awash drainage is rather species-poor: only 11 fish (1 endemic, 2 introduced) and 28 caddisfly species (8 new records for Ethiopia) were recorded from the mainstem and its major tributaries. Nevertheless, specialized species characterize the highland forests, whereas the lowlands primarily host geographically widely distributed species. This study showed that a combined approach of fish and caddisflies is a suitable method for assessing regional characteristics of fluvial ecosystems in the tropicsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Local Abundance Patterns of Noctuid Moths in Olive Orchards: Life-History Traits, Distribution Type and Habitat Interactions

Local species abundance is related to range size, habitat characteristics, distribution type, body size, and life-history variables. In general, habitat generalists and polyphagous species are more abundant in broad geographical areas. Underlying this, local abundance may be explained from the interactions between life-history traits, chorological pattern, and the local habitat characteristics. The relationship within taxa between life-history traits, distribution area, habitat characteristics, and local abundance of the noctuid moth (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) assemblage in an olive orchard, one of the most important agro-ecosystems in the Mediterranean basin, was analyzed. A total of 66 species were detected over three years of year-round weekly samplings using the light-trap method. The life-history traits examined and the distribution type were found to be related to the habitat-species association, but none of the biological strategies defined from the association to the different habitats were linked with abundance. In contrast to general patterns, dispersal ability and number of generations per year explained differences in abundance. The relationships were positive, with opportunistic taxa that have high mobility and several generations being locally more abundant. In addition, when the effect of migrant species was removed, the distribution type explained abundance differences, with Mediterranean taxa (whose baricenter is closer to the studied area) being more abundant

A quantitative field comparison of emergence traps with open and covered bottoms in a stream : general and Trichoptera

Two greenhouses were operated as emergence traps in a stream in southwestern Lower Austria from 1984 to 1989 at a distance of 28 m from each other. The stream bed under the traps was covered by a metal sheet alternately for one year, thus preventing emergence under the trap with covered bottom so that insects caught in this trap must have come from outside. The results have shown that insects from outside constitute a high but un quantifiable proportion of the total catch. In many instances there were more insects in the trap with a covered stream bed than in the open one. Therefore the emergence trap method is not adequate for quantitative surface-related studies, including secondary production

Neue asiatische Köcherfliegen aus neuen Ausbeuten (Insecta, Trichoptera)

Malicky, H. (2012): Neue asiatische Köcherfliegen aus neuen Ausbeuten (Insecta, Trichoptera). Linzer biologische Beiträge 44 (2): 1263-1310, DOI: http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.532950