Biodiversity Data Journal :
Taxonomic Paper
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Corresponding author: Ladislav Hamerlik (ladislav.hamerlik@gmail.com)
Academic editor: Gunnar Kvifte
Received: 13 Dec 2019 | Accepted: 13 May 2020 | Published: 19 May 2020
© 2020 Peter Bitušík, Milan Novikmec, Ladislav Hamerlik
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation:
Bitušík P, Novikmec M, Hamerlik L (2020) Chironomids (Insecta, Diptera, Chironomidae) from alpine lakes in the Eastern Carpathians with comments on newly-recorded species from Ukraine. Biodiversity Data Journal 8: e49378. https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.8.e49378
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The first summarising checklist of Ukrainian Chironomidae (Insecta, Diptera) consisted of 302 species. Compared to other European countries, it is obvious that the real chironomid diversity of Ukraine has not been fully documented and greater effort is needed to discover the actual richness of this family. Thus, our survey focused on the chironomid fauna of some alpine lakes situated above the treeline in the Ukrainian Carpathians (a part of the Eastern Carpathians) aiming to contribute to the knowledge of the Ukrainian chironomid fauna and create the basis for more comprehensive neo- and palaeolimnological studies of these, regionally, little-known ecosystems.
In total, 34 species/taxa, belonging to 22 genera and 4 subfamilies were collected in June 2019. Ten species were recorded for the first time in Ukraine: Zavrelimyia melanura, Acamptocladius reissi, Cricotopus speciosus, Cricotopus curtus, Heterotrissocladius marcidus, Orthocladius dentifer, Psectrocladius oligosetus, Polypedilum uncinatum, Paratanytarsus laccophilus and Tanytarsus bathophilus. The occurrence of six species previously considered as “doubtfully present” in Ukraine was finally confirmed. Generally, the surveyed lakes have a unique composition of chironomids consisting of a mixture of species typical for cold alpine lakes and acidic ponds situated at lower altitudes.
Non-biting midges, alpine ponds, pupal exuviae, new records, Ukrainian Carpathians
The Chironomidae family is a group of holometabolous insects distributed with the widest range of any family of insects, with individual species occurring from Antarctica and sub-Antarctic islands to Ellesmere Island in the Canadian Arctic. In this respect, chironomids are exceeded only by a few collembolan and mite species (
Due to their ecological diversity, ubiquity and critical position in food webs, chironomids have been important components of biomonitoring and conservation programmes (see
From the estimated more than 10,000 species worldwide (
According to the first summarising checklist, 302 Chironomidae species have been recorded from Ukraine (
Here, we provide the first inventory of the family Chironomidae from some alpine lakes of the Eastern Carpathians located in Ukraine. Out of the several thousand natural and artificial lakes in Ukraine (
The part of the Eastern Carpathians located in Ukraine (Ukrainian Carpathians) represents medium altitude mountains with only few peaks slightly exceeding 2000 m a.s.l. The highest massifs, Chornohora and Svydovets, show direct glacial imprints of past glaciations (
Lake name |
Location |
Altitude (m) |
Max. depth (m) |
Area (ha) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Nesamovyte |
|
1745 |
2.0a |
0.35 |
Breskul 1 |
|
1738 |
1.1 |
0.04 |
Breskul 2 |
|
1728 |
1.6 |
0.01 |
Dantsyzh |
|
1671 |
0.9 |
0.05 |
Geryshaska |
|
1584 |
2.0 |
1.90 |
Vorozheska 1 |
|
1480 |
2.2 |
0.54 |
Vorozheska 2 |
|
1477 |
0.8 |
0.12 |
Vorozheska 3 |
|
1469 |
0.3 |
0.01 |
In the study area, bedrock is represented by sedimentary rocks of Cretaceous-Paleogene flysch. The dominant vegetation of the lake catchment areas is formed by unique mountain grasslands (“polonyna”) chequered, to various extents, by juniper (Juniperus communis nana (Willd.) Syme), dwarf pine (Pinus mugo Turra) or rhododendrons (Rhododendron kotschyi Simonkai) patches at some lakes. The studied lakes are located at altitudes between 1477 and 1745 m. The bottoms of the lakes vary from stony silt to mud and organic depositions.
Coordinates of studied lakes were identified in the field using GPS device Garmin GPSmap 64. Lake area was estimated in Google Earth Pro. Maximum lake depth was estimated in the field, except for one site, where published data were available. Basic characteristics of the studied lakes are presented in Table
Floating chironomid pupal exuviae and drowned adults were collected along the shores of lakes at stretches by skimming the water surface with a hand net (mesh size 250 μm, frame diameter 25 cm) with a telescopic handle. The collected material was placed into labelled plastic bottles and preserved with 75% ethanol. Sorted exuviae and adult males were mounted on microscopic slides and identified using
A total of 1,124 pupal exuviae, 7 pharate adults (males) and 35 adults (males) were identified to 22 genera, 34 species/ taxa and 4 subfamilies: Orthocladiinae were represented with 15 species/ taxa, followed by Chironominae (15), Tanypodinae (3) and Prodiamesinae (1) (Table
List of recorded chironomid species/taxa in the surveyed lakes. Numbers without symbol represent pupal exuviae, symbols # – new record for Ukraine, ⸸ – previously considered doubtful, * – adult male, ** – pharate adult (male). Abbreviations of lake names: Nes – Nesamovyte, Bre1 – Breskul 1, Bre2 – Breskul 2, Dan – Dantsyzh, Ger – Geryshaska, Vor1 – Vorozheska 1, Vor2 – Vorozheska, Vor3 – Vorozheska 3.
Taxa |
Lake name | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nes |
Bre1 |
Bre2 |
Dan |
Ger |
Vor1 |
Vor2 |
Vor3 |
|
Tanypodinae |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
Procladius (Holocladius) choreus (Meigen, 1804) |
- |
7, 1** |
- |
- |
- |
45, 1** |
19, 1* |
- |
Macropelopia nebulosa Meigen, 1804 |
1 |
- |
- |
13 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
# Zavrelimyia melanura (Meigen, 1804) |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
4 |
- |
- |
Prodiamesinae |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
Prodiamesa olivacea (Meigen, 1818) |
- |
- |
- |
1 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
Orthocladiinae |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
# Acamptocladius reissi Cranston et Saether, 1982 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
1 |
- |
- |
- |
Corynoneura cf. coronata Edwards, 1924 |
- |
3 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
Corynoneura cf. fittkaui Schlee, 1968 |
2* |
3, 3* |
3 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
Corynoneura Pe2a Langton, 1991 |
1 |
- |
- |
- |
18 |
- |
- |
- |
# Cricotopus (Isocladius) speciosus Goetghebuer, 1921 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
12 |
- |
- |
Cricotopus (Isocladius) sylvestris Fabricius, 1794) |
- |
- |
- |
- |
2, 1** |
3 |
- |
- |
Cricotopus (Isocladius) Pe 5 Langton, 1991 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
1 |
- |
- |
- |
Cricotopus (Isocladius) intersectus (Staeger, 1839) |
44, 4* |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
# Cricotopus (Cricotopus) curtus Hirvenoja 1973 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
1 |
- |
- |
⸸ Diplocladius cultriger Kieffer, 1908 |
- |
- |
- |
4, 1** |
- |
- |
- |
- |
# Heterotrissocladius marcidus Walker, 1856 |
1 |
- |
- |
2 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
Nanocladius (Nanocladius) parvulus (Kieffer, 1909) |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
2 |
- |
# Orthocladius (Orthocladius) dentifer Brundin, 1947 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
2 |
16 |
76, 3** |
- |
⸸ Parorthocladius nudipennis (Kieffer, 1908) |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
1 |
- |
- |
# Psectrocladius (Psectrocladius) oligosetus Wuelker, 1956 |
- |
4 |
5 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
Chironominae - Chironomini |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
Benthalia carbonaria (Meigen, 1804) |
- |
- |
- |
- |
40 |
- |
- |
- |
Chironomus (Chironomus) spp. |
6 |
9 |
- |
- |
9 |
25 |
19 |
21 |
Chironomus lob-pe 2a Langton & Visser 2003 |
- |
16 |
33 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
5 |
Pagastiella orophila (Edwards, 1929) |
40, 3* |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
# Polypedilum (Pentapedilum) uncinatum (Goetghebuer, 1921) |
- |
- |
- |
- |
5, 10* |
- |
1 |
- |
genus Synendotendipes Langton et Visser, 2003 |
1 |
14 |
9 |
- |
2 |
- |
- |
5 |
⸸ Synendotendipes dispar (Meigen, 1830) |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
2* |
Chironominae - Tanytarsini |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
⸸ Cladotanytarsus (Cladotanytarsus) atridorsum Kieffer, 1924 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
50 |
103, 6* |
50, 1* |
1 |
Micropsectra lindrothi Goetghebuer, 1931 |
- |
- |
- |
5 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
⸸ Paratanytarsus austriacus (Kieffer, 1924) |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
14 |
10 |
- |
# Paratanytarsus laccophilus (Edwards, 1929) |
23 |
31 |
- |
- |
155, 2* |
1 |
- |
- |
⸸ Paratanytarsus lauterborni (Kieffer, 1909) |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
2 |
12 |
- |
# Tanytarsus bathophilus Kieffer, 1911 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
12 |
2 |
- |
Tanytarsus gregarius Kieffer, 1909 |
93, 4* |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
Tanytarsus Pe 4c Langton, 1991 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
6 |
- |
- |
- |
No of taxa |
10 |
8 |
4 |
5 |
12 |
13 |
9 |
5 |
The number of species/taxa in a single lake varied from 4 to 13 with the mean diversity being 8.5 taxa per lake. The most frequent taxa were Chironomus spp. (6 lakes) followed by Synendotendipes sp. (most likely S. dispar, as the collected adults, 5 lakes); Cladotanytarsus (s. str.) atridorsum and Paratanytarsus laccophilus were recorded in half of the lakes. Half of the species (17) were recorded in a single lake only.
In some cases, pupal exuviae characteristics allowed identification to morphotypes only that may not correspond to valid species: Corynoneura Pe 2a, Cricotopus (Isocladius) Pe 5, Chironomus lob-pe 2a, genus Synendotendipes, Tanytarsus Pe 4c. Due to identification difficulties, pupal exuviae of Chironomus (s.str.) were not analysed further.
Our results confirmed the presence of previously doubtful records for Ukraine, such as Diplocladius cultriger, Parorthocladius nudipennis, Synendotendipes dispar, Cladotanytarsus atridorsum, Paratanytarsus austriacus and Paratanytarsus lauterborni (
Larvae of Zavrelimyia are common components of littoral assemblages of mountain lakes in the Alps (
The species is known from mountain peat pools and peatland lakes (
Larvae of the subgenus Isocladius are widespread in mountain lakes in the Alps (
Holarctic species recorded in most countries in Western and Central Europe. Major gaps in distribution include the Balkans and a belt from Scandinavia to South-European Russia.
A common rheophilic and polyoxybiontic species. Pupal exuviae could originate both from the inlet and the littoral of the lake, as slow-flow conditions are present along the lake shores.
Holarctic species widespread in Europe with the exception of the Balkans and a belt extending from the Baltics to Ukraine.
Belongs to the most widespread and often most abundant species in lakes of the Alps (
Holarctic species, known from Western and Northern Europe but not previously recorded in Central and Eastern Europe.
Larvae of Orthocladius (s. l.) are rheophilic to rheobiontic and poloxybiontic, generally confined to well-aerated flowing waters. They are recorded in the littoral of alpine lakes (
West Palaearctic species, in Europe known from western and northern countries, with distribution gaps from the Baltic republics across Poland and Ukraine to the Balkans.
Apparently a cold-stenothermic species occurring in lakes in mountain regions (e.g.
Holarctic species recorded from a small number of European countries; however, its distribution from Scandinavia to Greece indicates its potential occurrence all over Europe.
The species belongs to typical chironomid generalists for temporary wetlands, with adaptation to survive dry periods in moist soil (
Holarctic species, primarily distributed in northern and Western Europe, records are lacking from the southern and eastern part of the continent.
Euryoecious species occurring in ponds and lakes (
Palaearctic species widespread in Europe, but with a major gap in occurrence extending from the Baltic Republics to Southern Europe (apart from Romania) and the Balkans.
Larvae live mainly in lakes but also in flowing waters (e.g.
Our study contributes to the knowledge of the chironomid fauna of alpine lakes in the Ukrainian part of the Eastern Carpathians. We report a total of 34 species/taxa, while almost one third (10 species) of them were recorded for the first time in Ukraine. We are aware that this inventory is far from complete, as evidenced by the comparison with data from the Tatra Mountains (Western Carpathians) and the South Carpathians (
The most common species of the Tatra Mts. lakes (Western Carpathians,
The results of this “snap-shot” survey are important for at least two reasons: 1) it is the first insight into species composition of chironomid assemblages of Ukrainian alpine lakes in the context of the whole Carpathians and 2) the data can be useful in determining the ecological conditions in the alpine lakes and can create a basis for future (paleo)limnological studies extended to the whole „alpine lake district“ in the Ukrainian Carpathians.
This study was supported by the Slovak Scientific Grant Agency (VEGA), project No. 1/0341/18, as well as the Slovak Research and Development Agency, project number APVV-16-0236. We are grateful to Viktor Baranov and an unknown reviewer for their comments on the previous version of the manuscript.
PB identified Chironomidae pupal exuviae and adults and wrote the text, MN collected the data, prepared the map, tables and wrote part of the text, LH prepared figures and wrote part of the text.