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Results of faunistic research of aquatic Coleoptera in seven Natura 2000 Sites of Community Importance are presented in this paper. Altogether, 50 species were recorded. One species, Helochares (Helochares) punctatus Sharp, 1869, is recorded as new to the fauna of Slovakia. Three very rare species in Slovakia (Dryops similaris Bollow 1936, Limnius intermedius Fairmaire, 1881, and Hydraena excisa Kiesenwetter, 1849) were found at new sites. First faunistic records on aquatic Coleoptera from two important protected sites are presented. Furthermore, data on the occurrence of several species and on the water beetle diversity of partial river basins of Slovakia were considerably extended.

A checklist of water scavenger beetles from Morocco and their distribution in the country and North Africa is presented. It is based on (1) an exhaustive review of the literature (time span: 1914–2018); (2) more than 3150 individuals collected during extensive campaigns (2003–2018); and (3) an intensive revision of private collections. We found 52 species belonging to 14 genera and five subfamilies. Paracymus relaxus Rey, 1884 is reported for the first time from Morocco. Four species were excluded from the country’s fauna. A chorological analysis showed that most species found are essentially Mediterranean (48%) and Palaearctic (31%) elements. The subcosmopolitan elements and those whose distribution extends beyond the Palaearctic Region, in the Nearctic or Afrotropical Region, are less represented (21%). Most endemics are halophiles, pointing to the importance of the conservation of saline ecosystems.

Rivers in Mediterranean high mountains are especially vulnerable to climate change because these areas are characterized by extreme climatic conditions of snowy winters and relatively frequent summer droughts. Climate induced alterations in temperature and the magnitude of high and low river flows are expected to have significant effects on aquatic fauna. Here, we analysed changes in the caddisfly communities of the Sierra Nevada during a 20-year period on an altitudinal gradient range of 952–3050 m. Furthermore, we related these changes to an observed increase in air temperature and decrease in river flow over the last 40 years. Overall, caddisfly species richness increased but patterns varied depending on altitude in a non-linear shape. Richness increased in altitude with maximum values at sites of intermediate-high altitude (1800–2000 m). The effects of the observed climate change may be explained by the colonization of headwaters and middle reaches from mid-lowland species or by those from streams and rivers in nearby mountain chains at lower altitude. The observed richness increase and its association with environmental conditions suggest that mountains with a considerable altitudinal gradient may function as refuges for species and populations during periods of climatic change, which strength the importance of the conservation of mountainous habitat.

Community assembly is determined by a combination of historical events and contemporary processes that are difficult to disentangle, but eco-evolutionary mechanisms may be uncovered by the joint analysis of species and genetic diversity across multiple sites. Mountain streams across Europe harbour highly diverse macroinvertebrate communities whose composition and turnover (replacement of taxa) among sites and regions remain poorly known. We studied whole-community biodiversity within and among six mountain regions along a latitudinal transect from Morocco to Scandinavia at three levels of taxonomic hierarchy: genus, species and haplotypes. Using DNA barcoding of four insect families (>3100 individuals, 118 species) across 62 streams, we found that measures of local and regional diversity and intraregional turnover generally declined slightly towards northern latitudes. However, at all hierarchical levels we found complete (haplotype) or high (species, genus) turnover among regions (and even among sites within regions), which counters the expectations of Pleistocene postglacial northward expansion from southern refugia. Species distributions were mostly correlated with environmental conditions, suggesting a strong role of lineage- or species-specific traits in determining local and latitudinal community composition, lineage diversification and phylogenetic community structure (e.g., loss of Coleoptera, but not Ephemeroptera, at northern sites). High intraspecific genetic structure within regions, even in northernmost sites, reflects species-specific dispersal and demographic histories and indicates postglacial migration from geographically scattered refugia, rather than from only southern areas. Overall, patterns were not strongly concordant across hierarchical levels, but consistent with the overriding influence of environmental factors determining community composition at the species and genus levels. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

In this work we present the results of a one-year study on the macroinvertebrate community in an intermittent stream in southern Spain. We have studied the taxonomic composition, diversity and food web monthly in order to consider temporal variability in these parameters. More than 60 macroinvertebrate taxa have been recorded in the stream, but they do not cohabit at the same time. Many of them join the community at the beginning of the wet period. Afterwards, some new taxa incorporate but some others disappear. This leads to huge fluctuations in the diversity of the community and in the food web of different sampling dates. These variations are linked to environmental disturbances, mainly to flow peaks and minimums. From a relatively well structured, but simple, food web at the beginning of the wet period, it can be seen how several trophic levels disappear with time, and how several organisms change or extend their trophic function within it. We relate these variations to the intermediate disturbance hypothesis and discuss the resilience of the community of this intermittent stream (© 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

In Spain, a national project known as GUADALMED, focusing on Mediterranean streams, has been carried out from 1998 to 2005 to implement the European water framework directive (WFD) requirements. One of the main objectives of the second phase of the project (2002-2005) was to develop a predictive system for the Spanish Mediterranean aquatic macroinvertebrate communities. A combined-season (spring, summer, and autumn) predictive model was developed by using the latest improvements on the selection of best predictor variables. Overall model performance measures were used to select the best discriminant function (DF) models, and also to evaluate their biases and precision. The final predictive model was based on the best five DF models. Each one of these models involved eight environmental variables. Final observed (O), expected (E), and O/E values for the number of macroinvertebrate families (NFAM) and two biotic indices (IBMWP and IASPT) were calculated by averaging their values, previously weighted by the quality of each DF model. Regression analyses among the final O and E values for the calibration dataset showed a high proximity to the ideal theoretical model, where the final E values explained 73-84% of the variation present in the macroinvertebrate communities of the Spanish Mediterranean watercourses. The ANOVA performed among the reference (calibration and validation) and test datasets showed clear differences for the O/E values. Finally, the assessments carried out by the predictive model were sensitive to anthropogenic pressure present in the study area and allowed the definition of five ecological status classes according to the WFD requirements.

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Biological indices based on macroinvertebrates offer advantages for testing water quality. Nevertheless, a common criticism is that these indices show seasonal dependence. To elucidate this matter, 60 sits were sampled over a two-year cycle, and the BMWP' and ASPT' biotic indices (adaptation of the Biological Monitoring Working Party Score System and Average Score Per Taxon for the Iberian Peninsula) were calculated. Annual variations in the indices were studied (considering, separately, only non-polluted sites, and grouping polluted and clean-water sites together) and compared for changes in temperature, the factor most characteristic of seasonality. Moreover, the correlations with physical factors (altitude, slope of stretch, flow, temperature, distance from the source) and chemical parameters (pH, conductivity, nitrates, nitrites, ammonium, phosphates, chlorides, sulphates, calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, COD, iron, copper, zinc, lead, nickel, oils and fats, detergents and pesticides) were analysed. Both indices were found to be negatively related with parameters indicative of pollution. From a multiple regression, a good score prediction using physical and chemical data (for BMWP' as for ASPT') was obtained. For non-polluted sites, the variability of the BMWP' (and its significance with respect to water quality) in relation to seasonality was quite reduced and not significant, but the ASPT' showed a significant dependence on temperature. The relationship of these indices to temperature in all sites (polluted and clean) was negative in both cases, indicating that the relationship is caused more by pollution than by seasonality.

A new species in the genus Hydraena Kugelann, 1794 from the south of the Iberian Peninsula is described and illustrated. The new species is closely related to Hydraena (Hydraena) bolivari Orchymont, 1936. Notes on the ecology and distribution are offered.

Une étude sur 4041 individus adultes de Coléoptères aquatiques Adephaga récoltés dans diverses localités de la chaîne rifaine marocaine a permis l’identification de 61 espèces dont une (Hydroporus memnonius) s’avère nouvelle pour le Maroc et 6 pour le territoire rifain. Les données obtenues lors des prospections et la compilation des citations bibliographiques concernant ce groupe d’insectes, ont permis la réalisation de l’inventaire des 81 espèces connues jusqu’à présent pour les neuf provinces faisant partie du Rif.

The male of Hydraena (Haenydra) tatii sp.n. is described and illustrated. It is known from three localities in the Sierra Nevada, Granada (southern Spain). Ecological notes are provided.