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New evidences of the presence of Aphelocheirus aestivalis in the Iberian Peninsula, its ecology and description of two northeastern Iberian populations

2019; Volume: 39; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

2660-8537

Marcos Roca‐Cusachs, Marta Goula, Cesc Múrria Farnós, Pau Fortuño Estrada, Laia Jiménez, Núria Sellarès, Marc Ordeix, Narcı́s Prat,

Fish biology, ecology, and behavior

espanolLa familia Aphelocheiridae se registra por primera vez en el noreste de la Peninsula Iberica tras la captura de Aphelocheirus aestivalis. Tras la descripcion de tres especies de Aphelocheirus endemicas de la Peninsula Iberica, se descarto que A. aestivalis formara parte de la fauna iberica. Nuestro hallazgo pone de manifiesto lo contrario, sugiriendo que la distribucion de A. aestivalis en la Peninsula Iberica deberia revisarse. El material estudiado presenta ligeras diferencias con respecto a ejemplares de otras localidades europeas en las estructuras genitales internas masculinas. Se proporcionan fotografias del habito del macho y de la hembra. Los ejemplares fueron encontrados en dos localidades de los rios Llobregat y Ter, distantes 36 km entre si. Mas de 25 anos de estudio en ambas cuencas apuntan que Aphelocheirus sp. se halla confinada a un corto trecho de esos rios, y por tanto se requieren medidas urgentes para preservar el habitat y las condiciones hidrologicas con el fin de proteger la especie EnglishThe waterbug Aphelocheirus aestivalis is herein recorded for the first time in Northeastern Iberian Peninsula, constituting the first citation of the family Aphelocheiridae in the region. Yet, later on in 1989, the description of three new endemic Iberian species belonging to Aphelocheirus implied the assumption that A. aestivalis was absent in the Iberian Peninsula. Here, we show strong evidences of the presence of this species by the collection of individuals in two isolated stream reaches located 36 km apart, in the two Mediterranean rivers Llobregat and Ter. The Iberian specimens studied showed slight differentiation from other European specimens in the structures of male internal genital. Photographs of the habitus of the male and female are provided. More than 25 years of study of these rivers show that Aphelocheirus sp. is confined solely to a short stretch in both rivers. Our study thus suggests that the distribution of A. aestivalis in the Iberian Peninsula should be revised and further investigated, and warns of urgent measures to improve, or at least preserve, the habitat and the hydrological conditions rivers Llobregat and Ter to protect the species