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Potamophilus acuminatus (Fabricius, 1792) is here recorded for the first time from Morocco and the recent distribution in Slovakia is updated. The North African distribution was hitherto based only on two larvae from Tunisia. DNA-barcoding confirmed the identification of specimens from Morocco after comparing ten sequences of P. acuminatus from Germany, France and Slovakia. The COI haplotype of the Moroccan samples was quite divergent (0.033–0.035 uncorrected p-distance) compared with European specimens. These high p-distances suggest the existence of a different intraspecific lineage. A brief morphological diagnosis of adults and larvae is given.

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.

Several field surveys at 391 freshwater localities between 1985 and 2019 were undertaken in Morocco. Altogether, our field studies identified 67 species belonging to three genera (Hydraena, Limnebius, and Ochthebius), and representing 85.89% of the Hydraenidae fauna of the country. The species Hydraena exarata Kiesenwetter, 1866 is reported for the first time from Africa, and Ochthebius (Ochthebius) thermalis Janssens, 1965 and O. (Ochthebius) grandipennis Fairmaire, 1879 are here recorded for the first time from Morocco. These findings increased the number of Moroccan Hydraenidae to 78. Ochthebius semisericeus Saint-Claire Deville, 1914 and O. viridis Peyron, 1858 are excluded from the Moroccan fauna. Furthermore, the checklist presented in this work includes 15 Moroccan endemic, 19 Ibero-Maghrebian endemic and 8 Maghrebian endemic species. A biogeographical analysis shows that the Hydraenidae from Morocco are essentially Mediterranean (89.74%), while the Palaearctic elements (7.70%) and the species with wider distributions (2.56%) are less represented, highlighting the general limited dispersion capability of Hydraenidae compared to other water beetle families. The present study can serve as the basis for future progress in the knowledge of the Moroccan Hydraenidae.

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.

This checklist summarises our present knowledge on Moroccan distribution of the water beetles of five families: Gyrinidae, Haliplidae, Noteridae, Hygrobiidae and Dytiscidae. It includes all availab...

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.

Biodiversity loss is exceptionally greater in freshwater ecosystems. To preserve such biodiversity it is crucial to know what species and habitats require greater conservation efforts. In this study, we identify the most threatened endemic sensu lato water beetles found in Morocco (i.e., Moroccan, Maghrebian and Ibero-Maghrebian endemics) using six equivalent criteria (general distribution, Moroccan distribution, species rarity, species persistence, habitat rarity and habitat loss) to rank species according to their vulnerability. From the 90 endemic species studied, only Graptodytes bremondi Guignot 1934, Esolus bicuspidatus Alluaud 1922, Enochrus blazquezae Arribas & Millan, 2013 and Elmis atlantis Alluad, 1922 were considered extremely vulnerable following our own methodology, whereas thirty six were cataloged as highly vulnerable. The protection of such species mainly requires the conservation of their habitats, particularly rivers in low lands, saline streams, peat bogs, “Sebkhas” and marshes. Most of these Moroccan habitats are very rare and/or human impacted. Nowadays, no Moroccan species of aquatic Coleoptera has legal protection, being the only conservation measure available for these species the extent to which they occur in protected areas. As a result, all these forty species should be included in the future Red List of Threatened Species for Morocco, whereas the four most threatened are proposed to be incorporated in the IUCN Red List as “Endangered B2ab (iii)”. We present the first comprehensive analysis of all endemic aquatic beetles in Morocco applying a specific methodology. Four of the ninety endemic species studied showed an extremely high vulnerability: Graptodytes bremondi Guignot 1934, Esolus bicuspidatus Alluaud 1922, Enochrus blazquezae Arribas & Millan, 2013 and Elmis atlantis Alluad, 1922. We propose all of them for inclusion in the IUCN red list as "Endangered B2ab (iii)".

En el presente estudio se aportan nuevos datos sobre los insectos acuáticos, en particular Odonata, Coleoptera y Hemiptera recolectados estacionalmente desde el otoño de 2015 hasta la primavera de 2018 en un total de 20 estaciones de muestreo en la cuenca mediterránea del río Martil en el noroeste de Marruecos. El estudio taxonómico de 6 596 individuos perteneciendo a estos tres órdenes y recogidos durante el estudio, ha permitido destacar la presencia de 61 géneros, 27 familias y 102 especies repartidos en 13 especies de odonatos, 65 especies de coleópteros y 24 de hemípteros. De estas especies, Helophorus atlantis es nueva cita para el Rif, Hydroporus memnonius e Hydroporus rifensis lo son para el Rif Occidental, mientras que Zygonyx torridus, Peltodytes caesus, Agabus conspersus, Deronectes theryi, Hydrochus grandicollis, Gerris brasili, Hebrus pusillus, Parasigara rivularis y Notonecta obliqua se citan por primera vez en la cuenca del río Martil. La riqueza y abundancia de los tres órdenes fue mayor en primavera y principios de verano en comparación con otoño e invierno. El análisis biogeográfico muestra que los coleópteros, odonatos, y hemípteros de la cuenca del rio Martil están constituidos fundamentalmente por elementos mediterráneos (52%) y paleárticos (31%), mientras que los elementos de amplia difusión constituyen una minoría (17%). La composición taxonómica exhibió una fuerte variabilidad entre estaciones de muestreo y del año en respuesta a los niveles de intermitencia y presiones humanas, tales como actividades agrícolas, industriales y urbanas, construcción de represas y proyectos de rehabilitación que operan al nivel del río Martil alterando su estado ecológico y creando una buena oportunidad para el establecimiento de especies exóticas como Trichocorixa verticalis verticalis.

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.

Biometric data of the exuviae of female larvae of the dragonfl y Cordulegaster boltonii collected in Portugal, Spain and Morocco were analysed to determine whether the size of three exuvial structures measured differed depending on the geographic localities of the populations. Based on the results recorded for the 16 populations studied, head width was negatively correlated with latitude and the greatest length of the gonapophysis was recorded for the Iberian populations at the centre of this peninsula. Multivariate cluster analysis revealed a clear separation of the Moroccan population. A second cluster separated the southernmost population (Sierra Nevada) from the remaining Iberian populations. Four population groups were distinguished: those located in watercourses in the north and central area of the Iberian Peninsula, those in Iberian watercourses in the East and Middle South, the Sierra Nevada and North Morocco. Some of these results coincide with the results of genetic studies of other authors. Exuviae from the Sierra Nevada were collected by Á. Romero (Granada). C. Díaz (Cuenca), B. Tens and V. Rincón (Ávila), C. Lobón, G. Sanz, T. Velasco and P. Carpintero (Valladolid), L. Nunes (Castelo Branco) and J. Márquez (Sevilla) helped with the fi eld work. This work was funded by the European University Miguel de Cervantes support for Research Projects. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

This study provides the first biometrics analysis of exuviae from Moroccan populations of the Ibero-Maghrebian endemic dragonfly Cordulegaster boltonii algirica Morton, 1916 collected in the Rif Mo...

This work presents a list of water beetles of the families Hydraenidae and Elmidae occurring in Kabylia (central-north of Algeria) based on an exhaustive review of literature (1872–2016) and on more than 2126 individuals collected during field campaigns (2013–2015). Twenty-five species belonging to nine genera of Hydraenidae and Elmidae are here recorded from a total of 25 sites. Ochthebius (Ochthebius) bifoveolatus Waltl, 1835 is here recorded for the first time from Algeria; Hydraena leprieuri, Limnebius pilicauda, and Limnius intermedius are new records for Kabylia. A biogeographical analysis shows that the Hydraenidae and Elmidae from Kabylia are essentially Mediterranean (80%) and Palaearctic (20%) elements. Elements with wider distributions are absent.

Naturally stressed ecosystems hold a unique fraction of biodiversity. However, they have been largely ignored in biomonitoring and conservation programmes, such as the EU Water Framework Directive, while global change pressures are threatening their singular values. Here we present a framework to classify and evaluate the ecological quality of naturally stressed rivers along a water salinity gradient. We gathered datasets, including aquatic macroinvertebrate assemblages and environmental information, for 243 river locations across the western Mediterranean to: a) gauge the role of natural stressors (salinity) in driving aquatic community richness and composition; b) make river classifications by encompassing the wide range of environmental and biological variation exhibited by Mediterranean rivers; c) provide effective biomonitoring metrics of ecological quality for saline rivers. Our results showed that water salinity played a pivotal role in explaining the community richness and compositional changes in rivers, even when considering other key and commonly used descriptors, such as elevation, climate or lithology. Both environmental and biologically-based classifications included seven river types: three types of freshwater perennial rivers, one freshwater intermittent river type and three new saline river types. These new saline types were not included in previous classifications. Their validation by independent datasets showed that the saline and freshwater river types represented differentiable macroinvertebrate assemblages at family and species levels. Biomonitoring metrics based on the abundance of indicator taxa of each saline river type provided a much better assessment of the ecological quality of saline rivers than other widely used biological metrics and indices. Here we demonstrate that considering natural stressors, such as water salinity, is essential to design effective and accurate biomonitoring programmes for rivers and to preserve their unique biodiversity., CG-C and PA are supported by “Juan de la Cierva-Formación” research contracts (funded by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness - MINECO, Spain, FJCI-2015-25785 and FJCI-2014-20581, respectively). Saline river surveys were funded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation (Spain) through R&D&I Projects BOS2002-00702 (JV) and CGL2006-04159/BOS (AM).

The oases of Morocco, located between the Mediterranean and the Sahara ecoregions, constitute the main defence system of the temperate region against desert encroachment. This study aims to determine species richness and distribution of native and non-native ants in the oases of southern Morocco. Survey campaigns were conducted in 11 oases between March and May 2017. Thirty-four ant species belonging to 13 genera and three subfamilies were collected. The regional catalogue of Formicidae is enriched by 27 new species (total 44 species) and five were listed as non-native species (11.4% of diversity). The most frequent species is Pheidole pallidula and the richest oasis is Allogoum (containing 11 species of which two are exotic and three are native and exclusively detected here). Of the 11 studied oases, only four were free from non-native ant species. Regression-based methods indicated that species diversity of non-native ants is related to water availability and total flow rate of sources, and only total flow rate of sources for all species combined. All correlations become non-significant when non-native species are removed from analyses, suggesting a recent colonisation and early invasion. Water availability is necessary to maintain local myrmecological diversity. This study sets the basis for future identification of the impacts of non-native ants on the ecological integrity of oasis ecosystem and to establish conservation measures.

The aggressive behaviour of Anochetus ghilianii (Spinola, 1851) was estimated in the laboratory by observing the outcome of individual confrontations between workers belonging to 17 colonies according to the geographical distance between these colonies. This study aimed to better understand the social organization of this species and its mode of reproduction and colony foundation. Three categories of behaviours were exhibited by the opponent ants: aggressive, low-aggressive and non-aggressive. The latter category was the most prevalent with an average percentage of 82.56%, and prevailed in eight colonies. Conversely, aggressive behaviours represented only 9.61% of the records on average and appeared only when distance between colonies exceeded 1500 m. In addition, the percentage of aggressive behaviours considerably increased in relation to the geographical distance between the colonies. There was a significant positive correlation for aggressive behaviours, and negative for non-aggressive behavi...

Freshwater biodiversity is currently threatened worldwide. In North Africa, 24.4% of Odonata are regionally threatened with extinction. In this region, freshwater resources are particularly scarce and an increasing shortage of water is expected. To better understand the current threats to the endangered North African damselfly Coenagrion mercuriale we updated information on extinct and extant populations in North Africa and characterized these localities with regard to their topography, climate and anthropogenic use (anthrome). The C. mercuriale populations are being lost and this damselfly is experiencing range contraction. In Morocco nearly 45% of the populations have become extinct in recent decades and in Tunisia a single extant population remains. This species, which occupied predominantly areas of high value for human settlement, is now mainly restricted to high altitude areas. Nevertheless, the extant populations remain under threat of extinction due to increasing demand for water, changes in agric...

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.

Several field surveys between 2007 and 2014 were undertaken in Morocco. Altogether54 species were observed during our studies, representing 86 % of the odonate fauna ofthe country. Orthetrum sabina is new for Morocco, increasing the number of species to 63. Thespecies was found at Oued Ez-Zahar near Akhfenir, about 1 700 km off its nearest known localityat Ouargla in Algeria. Two small populations of Erythromma viridulum were found for thefirst time in the Rif, bridging the gap between populations in the Middle Atlas and the IberianPeninsula. The third observation of Sympetrum sinaiticum for Morocco was recorded and wewere able to significantly increase the known number of localities of the threatened Moroccanendemic Cordulegaster princeps. We further can show that several species (e.g., Boyeria irene, Pyrrhosoma nymphula) are more widely distributed than believed and occur also at low altitudes in the country. On the other hand, Calopteryx exul, Calopteryx virgo meridionalis, Lestes dryas, Coenagrion mercuriale, Aeshna isoceles and Libellula quadrimaculata are very rare in Morocco and their populations should be monitored to assess their potential decline. Finally, forall Moroccan dragonfly species the first and last observation dates are listed. For 17 of them we provide the earliest observation date and for seven species we prolong the observation period

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%).

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.

Analysis of the vulnerability of the aquatic beetles in the South Mediterranean side: the case of the Rif region (Morocco). There is a widespread agreement that rates of biodiversity loss are greater in freshwater systems than in other ecosystems. To be able to protect adequately the freshwater biodiversity, it is crucial to know what species and habitats require greater conservation effort. In this study, we identify the most threatened species of water beetles from the Rif (North of Morocco) using a categorization system to rank species according to their conservation priority or vulnerability. Haliplus andalusicus, Metaporus meridionalis, Hydrochus obtusicollis, Hydrochus tariqi, Limnebius mesatlanticus, Ochthebius atriceps, O. extraneus, and O. lanarotis were the most threatened species, for which reason they should be proposed to be included in a future Rif red list. Furthermore, Hydrochus obtusicollis and Ochthebius lanarotis are proposed for inclusion in the IUCN red list as "En danger". Both species are Moroccan endemic, with geographic ranges restricted to the Rif in the case of the fi rst species, and threatened by habitat loss. Effective protection of these species requires measures directed at the conservation of their habitats. Crucial target habitats for protection in the Rif include springs, headwater streams, middle reach stream, saline streams, marshlands and peat bogs. Resume. La perte de la biodiversite est plus accentuee dans les ecosystemes aquatiques continentaux que dans les autres types d'ecosystemes. L'elaboration d'une strategie de conservation adequate de la biodiversite aquatique s'avere donc cruciale. Elle doit cependant etre basee sur l'identifi cation des especes et des habitats necessitant un plus grand effort de conservation. Dans ce travail, les especes les plus menacees des coleopteres aquatiques du Rif (Nord du Maroc) sont identifi ees en utilisant un systeme de categorisation pour classer les especes selon leur priorite de conservation ou leur degre de vulnerabilite. Haliplus andalusicus, Metaporus meridionalis, Hydrochus obtusicollis, Hydrochus tariqi, Limnebius mesatlanticus, Ochthebius atriceps, Ochthebius extraneus et Ochthebius lanarotis presentent une haute vulnerabilite a une echelle regionale et meritent d'etre inscrites sur la future liste rouge des especes menacees du Rif. Parmi ces especes Hydrochus obtusicollis et Ochthebius lanarotis sont proposees pour qu'elles soient inscrites, sur la liste rouge IUCN dans la categorie "Endangered". Il s'agit de deux especes endemiques du Maroc, de distribution tres restreinte, la premiere exclusive du Rif, et leurs habitats souffrent de plusieurs impacts. L'etat de conservation de ces especes necessite que des mesures urgentes soient prises, pour la protection de leurs habitats. Les actions de preservation doivent inclure les habitats aquatiques du Rif comme les sources, les cours superieurs et moyens des oueds, les cours d'eau sales, les marais et les tourbieres.

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.