Contribution to the faunistic and ecological study of the blackflies (Diptera : Simuliidae) of Morocco - IV. The blackflies of the High Atlas mountain range. Description of a new species
J. Giudicelli et al., Contribution to the faunistic and ecological study of the blackflies (Diptera : Simuliidae) of Morocco - IV. The blackflies of the High Atlas mountain range. Description of a new species, ANN LIMNOL, 36(1), 2000, pp. 57-80
Citations number
50
Categorie Soggetti
Aquatic Sciences
Journal title
ANNALES DE LIMNOLOGIE-INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LIMNOLOGY
Blackflies have been collected along the main river systems of the High Atl
as range between 1985 and 1991. Immature instars of Simuliidae were importa
nt members of the benthic fauna in these streams, Larvae and pupae were col
lected from 54 sampling stations (between 450 and 3800 m a.s.l.) which incl
uded a great diversity of running waters from trickles to rather large rive
rs.
The blackfly community consists of 24 species; six species are new to scien
ce. Five species were previously described. A complete description of Simul
ium (Eusimulium) mellah Giudicelli & Bouzidi sp. n. is given in the present
paper.
The number of blackfly species presently recorded from High Atlas is remark
ably high in comparison to several European and Mediterranean countries; co
nversely, a relative scarcity of species has been observed fur the other Fa
unal groups inhabiting the High Atlas running waters.
Many species are shared with the blackfly fauna of western Europe and most
of Mediterranean Europe. The blackfly fauna of High Atlas clearly appears p
alearctic, dominated by elements of west-mediterranean and circummediterran
ean distribution; it also includes some african ones. Four species are ende
mic: they live in high-altitude torrential streams and springs.
Information on the biogeography, ecology and distribution of the species ar
e given.
Ecological affinities and relations between the 50 stations and 23 selected
species have been determined by means of a Correspondance Analysis. Five c
lusters of species and stations have been recognized : a first cluster char
acterizes the cold-water torrential streams and spring brooks at the highes
t altitudes (2660 to 3200 m a.s.l.); the 2nd and 3rd clusters correspond to
the crenal and the initial sectors of the rhithral (between 1600 and 2700
m a.s.l.) and to a community of cold-stenothermous species; the 4th cluster
is a community of eurythermic widely distributed species corresponding to
mountain rivers (hypo-metarhithral) between 1200 and 2600 m a.s.l.; the 5th
cluster includes the thermophilous and potamophilous species and their hab
itat which is related to the lower course of the rivers (between 600 and 16
00 m a.s.l.).
A factorial correspondances analysis was carried out on samples of inverteb
rates, collected monthly from dec. 1985 to dec. 1986, in various microhabit
ats (defined by current velocity and substratum) of two epipotamic river st
retches. The first factorial axis (F1) represent a current velocity scale.
The immature stages of 7 blackfly species are arranged on this axis in a de
fined order in terms of their rheopreferendum.