Abstract

SOTELO-CASAS, Rosa Carmen; CUPUL-MAGANA, Amílcar Leví  and  RODRIGUEZ-TRONCOSO, Alma Paola. First record of the genus Clunio (Diptera: Chironomidae) associated with the coral communities at Islas Marietas, Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodiv. [online]. 2014, vol.85, n.1, pp.14-23. ISSN 2007-8706.  https://doi.org/10.7550/rmb.38165.

Chironomids are common dipterans found in aquatic ecosystems. These organisms are ecologically important as consumers of particulate organic matter and they are consumed by fish, insects and birds. Most of the larvae are from fresh-water, but Clunio is exclusively marine and frequently associated with rocky shores and hard substrates. Six bimonthly samplings were conducted at Islas Marietas National Park during March 2011 to February 2012, using calcareous skeleton as a recruitment substrate. We found 89 larvae and 1 imago of the genus Clunio. The larvae showed a mean density of 0.015 ind·cm^-2, with a maximum value of 0.033 ind·cm^-2 during June-July, coinciding with the period with the highest sea surface temperature registered. Simultaneously, the micro-substrate adhered to the coral skeleton was identified and quantified; however, no relationship between the type of substrate and larval density was found (R= 0.61, p= 0.197). This study is the first record of Clunio, as well as the annual changes in abundance at the Mexican Pacific.

Keywords : Orthocladiinae; Mexican Pacific; Insecta; recruitment; larvae.

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