Abstract
The mayflies of the temperate and cold zones have well-synchronized life cycles, distinct cohorts, short emergence and flight periods. In contrast, aquatic insects from the tropical zones are characterized by multivoltine life cycles, “non-discernible cohorts” and extended flight periods throughout the year. This report is the first observation of life cycle patterns made of two species of mayflies on a torrent in the high elevation Bolivian Andes. The samples were taken from four sites and four periods during a hydrological season. The life cycle of each species was examined using size-class frequency analysis and a monthly modal progression model (von Bertalanffy’s model) to infer the life cycle synchrony type. These first observations showed a moderately synchronized univoltine life cycle for Andesiops peruvianus (Ulmer, 1920), whereas Meridialaris tintinnabula Pescador and Peters (1987), had an unsynchronized multivoltine life cycle. These results showed that the generalization of all aquatic insects as unsynchronized multivoltine species in the Andean region may not be entirely accurate since there is still a need to further clarify the life cycle patterns of the wide variety of aquatic insects living in this high elevation tropical environment.
Highlights
Neotropical mayflies are abundant in running waters in the mountain regions throughout the Andes Mountains of South America (Illies, 1969; Molineri, 2010)
This paper provides the first evidence of mayfly life cycles from high elevation sites in the Bolivian Andes, and provides the basis for further exploration of this topic
We captured and measured 11 654 total individual mayfly nymphs, with the majority belonging to A. peruvianus (9 080 nymphs) and the remaining corresponding to M. tintinnabula (2 574 nymphs)
Summary
Neotropical mayflies are abundant in running waters in the mountain regions throughout the Andes Mountains of South America (Illies, 1969; Molineri, 2010). Life cycles of freshwater macroinvertebrates have mainly been studied in the temperate Northern Hemisphere In these areas, the alternation of warm and cold seasons is a fundamental determinant of insect life history and development patterns. Multivoltine development patterns were observed, with asynchronous biological cycles due to abiotic conditions only partially related the seasons (e.g. wet-dry seasons). The life cycle of larval development of the aquatic insects in the tropical high elevation Andean region has not been reported until now. This report adds new data and builds on a previous study where the temporal-spatial abundances of several macroinvertebrates, including A. peruvianus and Meridialaris tintinnabula Pescador and Peters (1987), were documented from running water in the high Andes (Molina, Gibon, Pinto, & Rosales 2008). This paper provides the first evidence of mayfly life cycles from high elevation sites in the Bolivian Andes, and provides the basis for further exploration of this topic
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