Benthic macroinvertebrates collection: a tool for the knowledgement of freshwater biodiversity

Abstract

Zoological collections can be considered important registries of freshwater biodiversity for academical and research activities. The objective of this study was to organize a database of the diversity of benthic indicators of water quality collected in many freshwater ecosystems. The Benthic Macroinvertebrates Reference Collection of the Laboratory Ecology of Benthos, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais was created in 1997. This collection comprises 16,500 registers from different lotic and lentic ecosystems in Brazil and other countries. The taxa (with one or more organisms) are preserved in tubes, glasses, and wardrobes. In the tomb notebooks are registered: the taxonomical identification, origin, collection method, number of individuals, sample number and field observations. Besides the maintenance of the Reference Collection, a database is being constructed with the benthic biodiversity information. Up to this moment, the database has almost 71,000 registers preserved in 6,000 tubes and in 174 glasses. The incorporation of new organisms to the Collection is of c. 7,100.00 (+ 7,471.67) organisms per year. The aquatic insects are the main abundant and taxonomic diverse in the Collection. Diptera, Ephemeroptera, and Trichoptera were the most numerical important groups, with respectively 37.9%, 16.7%, and 14.5%. Among the Dipterans, Chironomidae comprises 59 genera. This Reference Collection represents an important tool for knowledge of benthic biodiversity in lotic and lentic ecosystems, allowing later taxonomical identification, and the development of population dynamics and community structure studies, due to the increase deposit of knew material. Moreover, it is of paramount importance to guarantee future taxonomical, biogeographical, phylogenetical and ecological studies, using this material. Key words: benthic macroinvertebrates, scientific collection, database.