Systematic & Applied Acarology ISSN 1362-1971 An international journal of the Systematic and Applied Acarology Society, published since 1996 [Aims] [Editors] [Content] [Subscriptions] [Contact details] [Society Homepage]

Systematic & Applied Acarology (2003) 8, 55-66

Structure of water mite taxocoenoses in two northwestern Argentinean subtropical sub-catchments

HUGO R. FERNÁNDEZ*

Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Argentina

*Present Address: Flathead Lake Biological Station, The University of Montana, Polson, Montana 59860-9659 USA. E-mail: hugof@selway.umt.edu

Abstract

Hydrachnidia water mites were examined in eight streams with similar chemistry from two sub-catchments that did not differ with respect to precipitation predictability (P>0.05). This study describes the structure of this taxonomic segment of the invertebrate community as species diversity, relative abundance, and composition. Twenty-two water mite species were found in this study. Following rarefaction to sub-samples of 170 individuals, expected richness for these eight subtropical streams was lower (E<16) than found for a tropical stream (E=23). Species composition and the log-normal distribution of species were similar in the two sub-catchments. However, richness and diversity show significant differences between the two sub-catchments (P<0.05). The results suggest that similar seasonal rainfall pattern (contingency>65%) does not guarantee similar patterns of diversity and richness in neighboring sub-catchments.

Key words: benthic, stream, diversity, richness, predictability, constancy, contingency

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