CHARACTERIZATION OF THE BENTONIC ENTOMOFAUNA OF LOS ANGELES RIVER, CAPAYÁN, CATAMARCA

VEGA OVEJERO A.; ROMERO R.; ROMERO P.; IBAÑEZ BALESTRA L.; SALAS L.

Electron Microscopy and Cell Biology

Instituto de Histología y Embriología

Lugar: Mendoza; Año: 2021 vol. 45 p. 95 - 95

1667-5746

Benthic insects are a vital functional component in lotic ecosystems. Los Angeles River runs through a longitudinal valley in the homonymous locality, in the department Capayán province of Catamarca. Its biota has not yet been studied. The objective of this research was to characterize the benthic entomofauna of the river through simple biological metrics and ecological indices. Sampling station was established at 28º26´45.17´´S 65º57´01.89´´W; at 1779 MASL. Samples (N = 2) were taken with a ?Surber? type sampler (900 cm2 surface; 300 μm-mesh opening), integrated for analysis, in winter 2019. Taxonomic determinations were made at the lowest level possible to discern. The abundance was 1159 benthic insects (larvae and adults), of nine orders, 30 families and 28 genera. Percentage composition of orders showed that the most abundant were: Diptera (38.31%), Coleoptera (27.27%), Trichoptera (14.06%), Ephemeroptera (10.87%), and Plecoptera (6.56%). The remaining orders were poorly represented (range: 0.43?0.86 %). The most abundant families were: Chironomidae (28.65%) and Elmidae (19.67%), Hydropsychidae (8.37%), Baetidae (7.42%), Psephenidae (7.08%) and Perlidae (6,56%). In terms of wealth, the most diverse order was Trichoptera (6 families and 9 genera), Diptera (7 families and 6 genera), followed by Coleoptera (5 families and 6 genera) and Ephemeroptera (3 families and 6 genera). The most abundant genus was Austrelmis (16.73%), followed by Smicridea (8.37%), Psephenops and Baetodes (7.08% each). The diversity index Shannon-Wiener (H´log2) was: 2.92. The Simpson dominance was 0.19. The set of simple metrics and H´ index was obtained for the first time for the sampled river site; They are compatible with results obtained for rivers and mountain streams in the Chaco Serrano ecoregion of the Capayán department, in the same altitudinal range and contribute to the knowledge of its rich aquatic biota.