An illustrated guide of subfossil Chironomidae (Insecta: Diptera) from waterbodies of Central America and the Yucatan Peninsula

We provide a photographic guide and taxonomic diagnosis of Chironomidae larval remains obtained from surface sediments and short cores of 92 waterbodies situated on the Yucatan Peninsula and in Central America, namely Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. A total of 101 morphotypes belonging to 64 genera were identified. Chironominae was the most species-rich subfamily represented by 57 morphotypes of 34 genera. The most widespread and abundant genus was Goeldichironomus followed by Chironomus and Polypedilum. Orthocladiinae were represented by 26 morphotypes and 17 genera, with the most common one being Cricotopus. Remains of this subfamily were recorded in only 1/5 of the surveyed lakes. Tanypodinae included 17 morphotypes belonging to 12 genera. Labrundinia along with Ablabesmyia and Coelotanypus were the most common genera. Subfamily Podonominae was represented by the genus Parochlus. We believe that our study includes most of the Chironomidae genera of Central America and will have broad applicability for both paleolimnologists and aquatic ecologists.Fil: Hamerlík, L.. Slovak Academy of Sciences; EslovaquiaFil: Silva, F. L.. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Massaferro, Julieta. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte; Argentina. Administración de Parques Nacionales; Argentin

Lista de los quironómidos (Chironomidae: Diptera) del Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi, Patagonia, Argentina

Este trabajo presenta el primer catálogo de taxones modernos y subfósiles de la familia Chironomidae (Insecta: Diptera) del Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi en Patagonia, Argentina. La fauna catalogada contiene 104 especies en 48 géneros y 6 subfamilias para la fauna moderna y 52 morfotipos en 36 géneros y 4 subfamilias para la fauna subfósil.This paper presents the first inventory of modern and subfossil taxa of the Family Chironomidae (Insecta: Diptera) from Nahuel Huapi National Park in Patagonia, Argentina. The catalogued fauna contains 104 species in 48 genera and 6 sub-families for modern fauna and 52 morphotypes in 36 genera and 4 subfamilies for sub-fossil fauna.Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse

New placement for Spaniotoma (Eukiefferiella) claviculata Edwards, 1931 (Diptera: Chironomidae

In a recent examination of Edwards? Patagonian chironomid types in the Natural History Museum (London, UK) (NHM) we found the species Spaniotoma (Eukiefferiella) claviculata Edwards, 1931, previously considered by Spies & Reiss (1996) as an unplaced valid species, as belonging to the genus Parakiefferiella Thienemann. This species fits all characters in the generic diagosis of Cranston et al. (1989) by the possession of bare eyes, wings and squama; extended costa; acrostichals absent but with median tuft of microtrichia on scutum; hypopygium with anal point short, broadly based and subtriangular with few basal setae, virga well developed and inferior volsella subrectangular. Recently Wiedenbrug & Andersen (2002) described Parakiefferiella lagorum as a new Orthocladiinae species of the genus Parakiefferiella from South America. Having analyzed the descriptions and drawings of all the species described by Wiedenbrug & Andersen (2002) we came to the conclusion that the species P. lagorum is identical to Spaniotoma (Eukiefferiella) claviculata. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to establish the new combination Parakiefferiella claviculata (Edwards) and P. lagorum as a junior synonym.Fil: Massaferro, Julieta. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universidad Bariloche. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; Argentina. British Museum (Natural History). Department of Entomology; Reino UnidoFil: Donato, Mariano Humberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Laboratorio de Sistemática y Biología Evolutiva; ArgentinaFil: Brooks, Stephen J.. British Museum (Natural History). Department of Entomology; Reino Unid

Current state of the taxonomic knowledge of the Chironomidae fauna (Diptera: Nematocera) from Patagonia

La familia Chironomidae (Diptera: Nematocera) es uno de los grupos de insectos más ampliamente distribuidos y abundantes en cuerpos de agua dulce. Los representantes de esta familia pueden explotar áreas con amplios gradientes ambientales. La información que se presenta está basada en la recopilación de datos distribucionales bibliográficos, del estudio del material tipo de las especies de Chironomidae depositadas en el Natural History Museum (UK) y del material de colección del Museo de La Plata (Argentina). En la Patagonia, se registran 9 subfamilias, la subfamilia monotípica Chilenomyiinae es endémica de esta área. Dentro de estas subfamilias, 53 de los 111 géneros conocidos para América del Sur están presentes en la Patagonia. Del total de géneros de la Patagonia, el 20 % es endémico y 7 de ellos muestran relaciones transantárticas. En la Patagonia, se registran 177 especies de Chironomidae, el 98% de éstas son endémicas, el 3 % son consideradas nomina dubia y el 17% requiere revisión ya que su ubicación sistemática es dudosa. Las descripciones originales de las especies patagónicas de Chironomidae están basadas principalmente sobre machos (n=58) y machos y hembras (n=43), ambas representan el 57% del total; el resto de las especies han sido descriptas con diferentes combinaciones de estadios del ciclo de desarrollo.The Chironomidae (Diptera: Nematocera) family is one of the most widely distributed group of insects and often the most abundant in freshwater environments. Representatives of this family can exploit a wide range of environmental gradients. The information here presented is based on the compilation of distributional data obtained from bibliography, the study of the type material deposited in the Natural History Museum (UK) and the collection material from Museo de La Plata (Argentina). Nine subfamilies are recorded from Patagonia, being the monotypic subfamily Chilenomyiinae endemic for the area. From the 111 known genera from South America, 53 are present in the studied area. Aproximately 20 % of the genera recorded from Patagonia are endemic and 7 of them have transantarctic relationships. In Patagonia there are 177 species of Chironomidae, out of which 98% are endemic, 3 % are considered nomina dubia and ca. 17 % requires revision since their systematic position is doubtful. The original descriptions of the chironomid species from Patagonia are based mainly on males (n=58) and males and females (n=43) both amounting to 57 % of the total, the rest of the species have been described using different combinations of stages from their life cycle.Fil: Donato, Mariano Humberto. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Laboratorio de Sistemática y Biología Evolutiva; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Massaferro, Julieta. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universidad Bariloche. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; ArgentinaFil: Brooks, Stephen J.. Natural History Museum; Reino Unid

Lista de los quironómidos (Chironomidae: Diptera) del Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi, Patagonia, Argentina

Este trabajo presenta el primer catálogo de taxones modernos y subfósiles de la familia Chironomidae (Insecta: Diptera) del Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi en Patagonia, Argentina. La fauna catalogada contiene 104 especies en 48 géneros y 6 subfamilias para la fauna moderna y 52 morfotipos en 36 géneros y 4 subfamilias para la fauna subfósil.This paper presents the first inventory of modern and subfossil taxa of the Family Chironomidae (Insecta: Diptera) from Nahuel Huapi National Park in Patagonia, Argentina. The catalogued fauna contains 104 species in 48 genera and 6 sub-families for modern fauna and 52 morphotypes in 36 genera and 4 subfamilies for sub-fossil fauna.Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse

Chironomid Research in Northern Patagonia

Patagonia is the southernmost territory of South America and was traditionally considered as belonging to the Neotropical region (Sclater 1858, Wallace 1876). Based on these zoogeographic schemes, the Argentinean biogeographer Raul Ringuelet (1961) divided Patagonia into the Araucanian Subregion, characterized by dominance of Austral or Notogeic fauna, and the Andean-Patagonian Subregion, having a dominant mixture of Notogeic, Brasilic, and Nearctic elements. Later, Cabrera & Willink (1973) proposed a biogeographic scheme for South America and the Caribbean in which the Andean-Patagonian region was part of the Neotropical region and Araucania. They named the region the SubAntarctic province, which was part of the Antarctic region and was based on the floristic and faunistic affinities of southwestern Patagonia with Antarctica, Australia and New Zealand. Further biogeographic schemes considered Patagonia as a part of a Holantarctic region (Takhtajan 1986) or Sub-Antarctic subregion and Patagonian subregion of the Andean Region (Morrone 2001). The extraordinary amount of different biogeographic schemes reflects the complexity of the affinities of the biota of Patagonia.Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y MuseoConsejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnica

Chironomid Research in Northern Patagonia

Patagonia is the southernmost territory of South America and was traditionally considered as belonging to the Neotropical region (Sclater 1858, Wallace 1876). Based on these zoogeographic schemes, the Argentinean biogeographer Raul Ringuelet (1961) divided Patagonia into the Araucanian Subregion, characterized by dominance of Austral or Notogeic fauna, and the Andean-Patagonian Subregion, having a dominant mixture of Notogeic, Brasilic, and Nearctic elements. Later, Cabrera & Willink (1973) proposed a biogeographic scheme for South America and the Caribbean in which the Andean-Patagonian region was part of the Neotropical region and Araucania. They named the region the SubAntarctic province, which was part of the Antarctic region and was based on the floristic and faunistic affinities of southwestern Patagonia with Antarctica, Australia and New Zealand. Further biogeographic schemes considered Patagonia as a part of a Holantarctic region (Takhtajan 1986) or Sub-Antarctic subregion and Patagonian subregion of the Andean Region (Morrone 2001). The extraordinary amount of different biogeographic schemes reflects the complexity of the affinities of the biota of Patagonia.Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y MuseoConsejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnica

Primer registro del grupo Pseudodiamesa branickii (Diptera: Chironomidae: Diamesinae) del centro de México

Larvae and pupae of the Pseudodiamesa branickii species-group (Makarchenko & Makarchenko, 1999) (Diptera: Chironomidae) were found in 2 high-altitude lakes (El Sol and La Luna, 4,200 m asl), in the crater of the Nevado de Toluca volcano, in central Mexico. This is the first record of the genus in Mexico, and its southernmost report from a location that represents a transitional zone between the Nearctic and Neotropical regions. New information on the ecology and biogeographical distribution of the species-group is given.Se identificaron ejemplares de larvas y pupas del grupo Pseudodiamesa branickii (Makarchenko y Makarchenko, 1999) (Diptera: Chironomidae) en 2 lagos de altura (El Sol y La Luna, 4,200 m snm), ubicados dentro del cráter del volcán Nevado de Toluca, en el centro de México. Éste es el primer reporte para México y la localización más austral del género, en una zona transicional entre las regiones Neártica y Neotropical. Se presenta nueva información sobre la ecología y la distribución biogeográfica de este grupo.Fil: Moreno, Joanna. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; MéxicoFil: Massaferro, Julieta. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte; ArgentinaFil: Caballero, Margarita. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; MéxicoFil: Oseguera, Luis. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; Méxic

Evaluación del rendimiento de distintas métricas utilizando los macroinvertebrados en el sistema lótico de Challhuaco-Ñireco (Patagonia, Argentina)

Seven sites were examined in the Challhuaco-Ñireco system, located in the reserve of the Nahuel Huapi National Park, however part of the catchment is urbanized, being San Carlos de Bariloche (150,000 inhabitants) placed in the lower part of the basin. Physico-chemical variables were measured and benthic macroinvertebrates were collected during three consecutive years at seven sites from the headwater to the river outlet. Sites near the source of the river were characterised by Plecoptera, Ephemeroptera, Trichoptera and Diptera, whereas sites close to the river mouth were dominated by Diptera, Oligochaeta and Mollusca. Regarding functional feeding groups, collector-gatherers were dominant at all sites and this pattern was consistent among years. Ordination Analysis (RDA) revealed that species assemblages distribution responded to the climatic and topographic gradient (temperature and elevation), but also were associated with variables related to human impact (conductivity, nitrate and phosphate contents). Species assemblages at headwaters were mostly represented by sensitive insects, whereas tolerant taxa such as Tubificidae, Lumbriculidae, Chironomidae and crustacean Aegla sp. were dominant at urbanised sites. Regarding macroinvertebrate metrics employed, total richness, EPT taxa, Shannon diversity index and Biotic Monitoring Patagonian Stream index resulted fairly consistent and evidenced different levels of disturbances at the stream, meaning that this measures are suitable for evaluation of the status of Patagonian mountain streams.Siete sitios fueron examinados en el sistema lótico Challhuaco-Ñireco, ubicado dentro del Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi (PNNH), sin embargo parte de esta cuenca está urbanizada ya que atraviesa la ciudad de San Carlos de Bariloche (150,000 habitantes). Se midieron variables físico-químicas y se colectaron los macroinvertebrados bentónicos durante tres años consecutivos en siete sitios desde la cabecera hasta la desembocadura. Plecoptera, Ephemeroptera, Trichoptera y Diptera predominaron en los sitios cercanos a la cabecera, mientras que Diptera, Oligochaeta y Mollusca dominaron los sitios más bajos cercanos a la desembocadura. En relación con los grupos funcionales, los colectores-recolectores fueron los dominantes en todos los sitios y este patrón fue consistente durante los tres años de muestreo. El análisis de ordenamiento (RDA) reveló que las distribuciones de los ensambles de especies respondieron al gradiente climático y topográfico (temperatura y elevación), pero también fueron asociados con variables relacionadas al impacto antrópico (conductividad, contenido de nitratos y fosfatos). Los ensambles en cabecera estuvieron representados por insectos sensibles, mientras que los taxones tolerantes como Tubificidae, Lumbriculidae, Chironomidae y el crustáceo Aegla sp. fueron dominantes en los sitios urbanizados. En relación con las métricas analizadas, la Riqueza total, el EPT taxa, la diversidad de Shannon y el índice biótico BMPS evidenciaron diferentes niveles de disturbio en el sistema, demostrando que estas medidas son una excelente herramienta para determinar el estado de los ríos de montaña de la Patagonia.Instituto de Limnología "Dr. Raúl A. Ringuelet"Facultad de Ciencias Veterinaria

Apedilum griseistriatum comb. nov., colocación de Chironomus (Polypedilum) griseistriatum (Diptera, Chironomidae)

The study of the type material of Chironomus (Polypedilum) griseistriatum Edwards, 1931 described from Patagonia lead us to formally transfer the species to Apedilum Townes, 1945 as a new combination, and a reared specimen allows us to describe its pupa. Based on several larvae belonging to Apedilum collected in the proximity of the localities in which the adults and pupae were found, we tentatively describe the larval stage. Subfossil larval head capsules of the same species were found in Laguna Stibnite at 46°S in Chile dated to about 2,500 years ago and in Puerto Blest, Lago Nahuel Huapi at 41°S in Argentina dated about 2,000 years ago. We discuss the habitat of the species based on both modern and subfossil material. Identifcation keys to male adult, pupae and fourth instar larvae are also provided.El estudio del material tipo de Chironomus (Polypedilum) griseistriatum Edwards, 1931 de Patagonia nos permite transferir formalmente la especie a Apedilum Townes, 1945 como una nueva combinación, y la cría de un especimen nos permite describir su pupa. Sobre la base de varias larvas pertenecientes a Apedilum colectadas en las proximidades de las localidades en las cuales fueron encontrados los adultos y las pupas, describimos tentativamente el estadio larval. Cápsulas de larvas subfósiles de la misma especie fueron encontradas en la Laguna Stibnite a 46°S en Chile datadas en aproximadamente 2.500 años atrás y en Puerto Blest, Lago Nahuel Huapi a 41°S en Argentina datadas en aproximadamente 2.000 años atrás. Discutimos el hábitat de la especie basados en el material moderno y subfósil. Se provee además de claves de identificación del cuarto estadio larval, pupa y adulto macho.Instituto de Limnología "Dr. Raúl A. Ringuelet