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This study aimed to evaluate the effects of the Martil River rehabilitation project and recently constructed dam infrastructures to reduce flood risks and to promote local socio-economic development on the ecological integrity of the river. The assessment focused on changes in fluvial landforms over time and the evaluation of aquatic ecosystems based on six physicochemical parameters (temperature, pH, electrical conductivity, dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, and chemical oxygen demand), morpho-hydrological variables (stream width, water depth, and current speed), habitat indices (QBR, IHF, and MQI), and macroinvertebrate assemblages of EPT, OCH, and Chironomidae (Diptera) at five stations from autumn 2015 to spring 2018 (prior to and during the rehabilitation actions). The results showed that the river rehabilitation project led to profound changes in Martil River’s ecosystem and water quality over time. Physicochemical and habitat measurements at the rehabilitated sites revealed a major change in macroinvertebrate communities due to changes in fluvial landforms in relation to flow-sediment regimes. As a result, some typical species of lentic habitats disappeared, while alien, opportunistic, and lotic species appeared.

The current study aimed to examine the responses of Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera (EPT) taxa to the major physicochemical (temperature, pH, electrical conductivity, dissolved oxygen, biological oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand) and hydro-morphological (stream width, water depth and current speed) factors affecting their abundance, richness and distribution. Immature insects of Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera were sampled as well as water during eight seasonal surveys conducted at 19 stations in Martil basin from spring 2016 to spring 2018. In total, 10,370 individuals belonging to 22 families, 36 genera and 48 species were collected during the study period. Baetidae, Perlodidae and Hydropsychidae were the most abundant and diversified families, respectively for each order. Significant biotypological differences of the EPT assemblages were observed among stream types relating to their spatial distribution, hydrological features and pollution levels. However, species richness and abundance were positively correlated with DO, pH and altitude and negatively correlated with temperature and the other parameters measured. The taxonomic list compiled following our recent investigations includes six new species for the Martil basin enabling them to expand their range in northern Morocco. Furthermore, the biogeographical analysis shows that EPT taxa from Martil basin are essentially composed of Mediterranean elements, with a high proportion of Ibero-Maghrebian endemic species. Moreover, this study provides a basis for further studies to analyze the distribution patterns of EPT taxa through multi-dimensional approaches.

The Mediterranean is one of the most biodiverse areas of the Paleartic region. Here, basing on large data sets of single copy orthologs obtained from transcriptomic data, we investigated the evolutionary history of the genus Dugesia in the Western Mediterranean area. The results corroborated that the complex paleogeological history of the region was an important driver of diversification for the genus, speciating as microplates and islands were forming. These processes led to the differentiation of three main biogeographic clades: Iberia-Apennines-Alps, Corsica-Sardinia, and Iberia-Africa. The internal relationships of these major clades were analysed with several representative samples per species. The use of large data sets regarding the number of loci and samples, as well as state-of-the-art phylogenomic inference methods allowed us to answer different unresolved questions about the evolution of particular groups, such as the diversification path of D. subtentaculata in the Iberian Peninsula and its colonization of Africa. Additionally, our results support the differentiation of D. benazzii in two lineages which could represent two species. Finally, we analysed here for the first time a comprehensive number of samples from several asexual Iberian populations whose assignment at the species level has been an enigma through the years. The phylogenies obtained with different inference methods showed a branching topology of asexual individuals at the base of sexual clades. We hypothesize that this unexpected topology is related to long-term asexuality. This work represents the first phylotranscriptomic analysis of Tricladida, laying the first stone of the genomic era in phylogenetic studies on this taxonomic group.

Benítez-Álvarez, Lisandra, Mateos, Eduardo, Ouanighi, Younes El, Bennas, Nard, Alami, Majida El, Riutort, Marta (2022): The expansion continues: Girardia arrives in Africa. First record of Girardia sinensis (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, Continenticola, Dugesiidae) in Morocco. Zootaxa 5169 (5): 497-500, DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5169.5.9

The invertebrate communities of running waters are known to be highly sensitive to environmental disturbances and have, therefore, high interest in bio assessment. The objective of this study is to reveal, through a case study (the Upper Sebou, Morocco), the trends of these communities in the South Mediterranean region in a context of global change. The study consists in describing and interpreting the changes undergone by insect populations in the studied river between two periods (1981–1985 and 2015–2017), i.e. over a 34-years period. These changes are mainly attested by a strong decrease in species richness, indicating the disappearance of several rheophilic and/or pollution-sensitive species, especially among Plecoptera, and the regression of some taxa against the proliferation of thermophilic and/or pollution-tolerant forms. The data melting of both periods, via a binary matrix ‘species × stations-periods’ treated by the Correspondence Analysis, revealed the classical upstream-downstream ordination of the studied waters, where the majority of the stations register a downstream migration by the time. In this evolutionary perspective, the study implicates the hydrological and thermal factors depending on global warming and on anthropization of the watershed.

The taxonomy of mayflies in Wadis of Seybouse and Kebir-Rhumel in Algeria is poorly studied since a long time. This research aimed at studying diversity and distribution of Ephemeroptera fauna at t...

In 2014–2019, we carried out an examination of Trichoptera of the Moulouya River basin in the Oriental, Fez-Meknes and Drâa-Tafilalet regions of Morocco. Caddisflies of the territories of the High ...

In recent decades there has been a significant increase in the presence of plastics in the environment, particularly in the marine environment, due to its great applicability in all fields of life....

The aim of this study is to investigate the longitudinal zonation of macroinvertebrates assemblages in the Za River basin, the main tributary of Moulouya River (Morocco). This work carried out in three campaigns between March and August 2014 on 12 stations selected. This study allowed the identification of 137 species classified in 109 genera and 65 families. In addition to the physicochemical parameters measured three times in each station, a description of the aquatic environment was made to characterize each of the stations surveyed; in particular with regard to altitude, slope, Emberger quotient, thermal amplitude, kilometers at the source, current velocity and bioclimatic zones. The treatment of this benthic population as well as the stations environmental descriptors, using Foucart' factorial correspondence analysis (FCA) and partial triadic analysis (PTA) respectively, allowed for the development of a typology of this watercourse, where altitude and current speed seem to play a major role in the distribution of benthic invertebrates. The biocenotic study revealed the presence of three stationary groupings corresponding to four faunal groups.

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.

New reports of aquatic insects (Coleoptera, Odonata, Hemiptera, Ephemeroptera and Trichoptera) from Medjerda river basin in Tunisia are presented. 61 species of aquatic insects belonging to 45 genera, 22 families, and 5 orders are listed. 5 species of Coleoptera (Gyrinus (Gyrinus) caspius Menetries, 1832, Hydroporus marginatus (Duftschmid, 1805), Dryops gracilis (Karsch, 1881), Ochthebius (Ochthebius) pilosus Waltl, 1835, and Hydrochus aljibensis Castro & Delgado, 1999) and two species of Hemiptera (Cymatia rogenhoferi (Fieber, 1864) and Notonecta pallidulaPoisson, 1926) are recorded for the first time in Tunisia. New findings increase the number of Tunisian Coleoptera and Hemiptera to 208 and 38 respectively. A biogeographical analysis shows that the five orders of aquatic insect of the Medjerda river basin are essentially Mediterranean (57%) and Palaearctic (33%) elements, while wide distribution elements are a minority (10%).

Une caracterisation globale et approfondie de la qualite physicochimique et microbiologique des eaux superficielles de deux reseaux hydrographiques nord marocains, le Laou et le Tahaddart, a ete realisee par le biais d’un suivi qui s’est etale sur trois annees consecutives d’avril 2007 a juillet 2009. La qualite physicochimique et microbiologique globale a ete evaluee a partir de dix parametres : la conductivite, l’oxygene dissout, la turbidite, l’ammonium, les nitrites, les nitrates, les orthophosphates, les coliformes totaux, les coliformes fecaux et les streptocoques fecaux. Cette etude montre que les cours d’eau de ces deux bassins‑versants subissent des perturbations multiples et arrivent a leur seuil de tolerance sur certains de leurs troncons. Au niveau du bassin‑versant du Laou, la qualite des eaux est generalement bonne a moyenne sur l’ensemble des cours d’eau prospectes, excepte certains troncons dont la qualite est mauvaise a cause des rejets des eaux usees et de l’intensification de l’agriculture avec l’utilisation d’engrais et de produits phytosanitaires. Quant au bassin‑versant du Tahaddart, la qualite des eaux est bonne a moyenne au niveau du sous-bassin Haricha, tandis qu’elle est mauvaise a tres mauvaise au niveau des deux sous-bassins El Hachef et Mharhar. La problematique de la qualite de l’eau au niveau de ce bassin reside dans la nature du substrat fortement erosif, l’agriculture et la nature des pratiques agricoles, l’elevage et le surpâturage.

Aim To examine how the employment of both community- and population-level approaches can provide a wider view of the importance of contemporary and historical factors on current species distribution. We posit that community ecology should provide more information about contemporary factors, whereas population genetics should provide better information about historical factors. Location Rivers of the western Mediterranean Basin, including four subregions differing in geological history: the Iberian Plate, Transitional, Betic and Rif. Methods For a community-level approach, Trichoptera richness and community composition were compared between subregions using species accumulation curves and a correspondence analysis. For a population-level approach, the mtDNA cytochrome C oxidase subunit I (COI) gene of specimens of the Trichoptera midstream-lowland species Chimarra marginata (L.) was sequenced and analysed using phylogeographical methods. Results The community approach revealed that historical events had more influence on headwater communities than contemporary ecological factors, whereas historical events had negligible influence on midstream-lowland communities. In midstream-lowland sites, however, the population approach showed that the genetic structure of C. marginata differed significantly between subregions and revealed patterns of historical gene migration. In terms of species richness, the Rif subregion had the lowest value per basin due to local climatic features and isolation. Main conclusions Both community- and population-level approaches yielded information about the effects of historical factors on species distribution. However, the importance of historical events on current Trichoptera communities depends on the river zonation. Unlike headwater sites, midstream-lowland sites showed signs of historical events at the population level but not at the community level at the scale used, indicating that both approaches should be employed together in biogeographical studies. Lack of detection of historical events at the community level does not necessarily mean that they are negligible. Most likely, the organizational level used is not appropriate. We also stress the importance of implementing conservation measures for rivers in the western Mediterranean, especially under future scenarios of climate change and human disturbances in the Mediterranean Basin.

An overview of Moroccan stoneflies is presented as an annotated summary of published and unpublished records from 115 localities. These records have resulted in an updated species list reflecting taxonomic corrections and noteworthy range extensions for several species. A total of 28 species, belonging to 15 genera and seven families, is now known from Morocco with the greatest diversity found in the Rif Mountains (23 species) and the lowest in eastern Morocco with three species. The majority of Moroccan stoneflies are typical Mediterranean species (86%). The Moroccan endemics comprise nine species (32% of the Moroccan fauna). The Plecoptera fauna of Morocco is compared to that of Algeria and Tunisia. Thirty-eight stonefly species are reported from the entire Maghreb region. Protonemura khroumiriensis BéjaouiBoumaïza, 2009 is considered a synonym of P. drahamensis VinçonPardo, 2006.

The nymph and egg of Acentrella almohades sp. n. are described and illustrated on the basis of material collected in southern Spain (in the upper reaches of the Guadalquivir River Basin) and Morocco (Rif Mountains and Atlas Mountains). Features distinguishing the new species from other European species are discussed and keyed.

An overview of Moroccan stoneflies is presented as an annotated summary of published and unpublished records from 115 localities. These records have resulted in an updated species list reflecting taxonomic corrections and noteworthy range extensions for several species. A total of 28 species, belonging to 15 genera and seven families, is now known from Morocco with the greatest diversity found in the Rif Mountains (23 species) and the lowest in eastern Morocco with three species. The majority of Moroccan stoneflies are typical Mediterranean species (86%). The Moroccan endemics comprise nine species (32% of the Moroccan fauna). The Plecoptera fauna of Morocco is compared to that of Algeria and Tunisia. Thirty-eight stonefly species are reported from the entire Maghreb region. Protonemura khroumiriensis Bejaoui & Boumaiza, 2009 is considered a synonym of P. drahamensis Vincon & Pardo, 2006.