ABSTRACT
Two species of Caenis with straight forceps with a terminal tuft of spines are described from northern Australia. Male imagoes and nymphs of C. hanleyi n. sp. are described from reared material from the Alligator Rivers Region in the Northern Territory and C. binda n. sp. is described only from male imagoes collected from streams in the Wet Tropics of Queensland. C. hanleyi differs from C. binda by the structure of the forceps with C. binda being longer and narrower with longer apical spines. These are the first records of the genus Caenis in Australia.
Subject(s)
Ephemeroptera , Male , Animals , Nymph , RiversABSTRACT
We describe the multi-decadal delayed effects of flood on macroinvertebrate community structure using 33 years of monitoring data on macroinvertebrates, water quality, and climate, and 51 years of hydrological data, spanning 2300 km of the Murray River, Australia. We used distributed lag nonlinear models in a four-step analytical process, including 1) modelling macroinvertebrate community structure, represented as a set of principle coordinate axes, as a function of a lagged hydrologic index and other environmental variables using distance-based redundancy analysis 2) visualizing the patterns of delayed effects of flows on the PCO axes, 3) modelling the abundances of groups of taxa along individual PCO axes, and 4) combining the two sets of models in a counterfactual analysis to predict the community structure under flood and no-flood scenarios to describe the multi-decadal trajectory of the community following a flood. Our findings show an increase in abundance of most taxa of filtering-gathering collectors, scrapers, and shredders in the long term that implicates an influx of organic matter of all sizes, from particulate organic matter to coarse and large woody debris, that serves directly or indirectly as a food resource and/or habitat. Our approach enabled the isolation of a flood impact from the confounding effects of other flow events and environmental variables, overcoming a substantial challenge in ecohydrological studies.
Subject(s)
Floods , Rivers , Animals , Australia , Ecosystem , Environmental Monitoring , Invertebrates , Nonlinear DynamicsABSTRACT
The larval taxonomy of Australian stoneflies (Plecoptera) shows a large disparity in knowledge when compared to the adult taxonomy with many species having undescribed larval forms. The importance of stoneflies as an indicator group for monitoring aquatic ecosystems means knowledge of the larval taxonomy and the ability to identify species is essential. This study combined morphology and mitochondrial gene sequences to associate the adult and larval life-stages for species of Dinotoperla Tillyard. Morphological identification of adult males was recognised for 17 of the 35 Dinotoperla species and combining molecular data with morphology confirmed eight new adult-larval life stage associations. Further, molecular data supported the larval taxonomy for five morphospecies which remain unassociated. The combination of molecular and morphological methods enabled the larval morphology to be reassessed for the genus Dinotoperla and this has led to the establishment of two new genera, Odontoperla, gen. nov. and Oedemaperla, gen. nov., and the new species Dinotoperla aryballoi, sp. nov, D. tasmaniensis, sp. nov. and Oedemaperla shackletoni, sp. nov. as well as the new or updated descriptions of the larvae of 31 species and a comprehensive dichotomous key to these larvae.
