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Andesiops peruvianus (Ulmer, 1920) is a small minnow mayfly with a distribution throughout the Andes Mountains, mainly in lotic environments. In recent years, the taxonomic status of the species has been shifting, even finding out molecular and morphological evidence to consider it as a cryptic species. In this work, we collected seven specimens of...
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... four specimens morphologically analyzed were classified as Andesiops peruvianus and all of them categorized as Class 7 (with a head capsule width between 0.92-1.05 mm) (Table 2), the last instar prior to the hatching of the adult. One of the larvae (LSMFI00509) presented well-developed wingpads, although not yet dark. ...Citations
... It is possibly another species of the same genus. Baetidae (Ephemeroptera, FBI score 4) [10] was dominant, particularly Andesiops peruvianus (Ulmer, 1920), a small minnow mayfly with distribution throughout the Andes Mountains, but mainly in lotic environments [49]. Corixidae was associated with lotic and lentic conditions [46]. ...
This study considered using insect families as bioindicators to establish the health status of an ecosystem of lentic bodies. The water quality in urban lentic bodies in the Metropolitan Region, Chile, was evaluated from aquatic insect family assemblages and physicochemical variables for conserving aquatic life. Evaluations were carried out in parallel at four sampling stations of three water bodies (Batuco Wetland, Carén Lagoon, and Chada Reservoir) in a 2–3-year series, spring (2015, 2017, and 2018) and fall (2016 and 2018), with three replicates. Families were randomly sampled and aquatic insects were identified; abundance and richness differences were compared with non-parametric tests. Physicochemical variables were measured using portable multiparametric and laboratory chemical analyses to determine the water quality. A Canonical Correspondence Analysis was applied for insect families and the physical–chemical variable. In order to categorize the health of these water bodies based on aquatic insect composition and abundance, the Family Biotic Index (FBI), British Biological Monitoring Work Party (BMWP), and Stream Invertebrate Grade Number—Average Level (SIGNAL), adapted for Chile by Figueroa et al. (2007), were calculated. The eudominant insect families were Corixidae and Chironomidae in Batuco, Chironomidae and Corixidae in Carén, and Corixidae in Chada. Baetidae was dominant in Carén and Chada. The water bodies were classified in descending order of water quality by Chilean physicochemical standards: Chada > Carén > Batuco. The TSS (total suspended solids), phosphorus, and electrical conductivity were strongly positively correlated and negatively associated with dissolved oxygen. The TSS level was the most significant influential factor. The BMWP value and the SIGNAL differed from the FBI, but the first was more restrictive, contributing to the conservation of these ecosystems. Based on the nitrogen and phosphorus levels in the water bodies, all of them were eutrophic. Given the ecosystem diversity and complexity, studies should delve deeper into wetlands to establish methods that contribute to determining water quality, using insect families as bioindicators and physicochemical variables.
... The hypothesis that the Andean uplift acted as a dispersal route for boreal taxa is supported for this species (Antonelli et al. 2009;Gill et al. 2016). Owing to the remarkable plasticity in size and body coloration described by Lugo-Ortiz and McCafferty (1999), various authors have raised the possibility that A. peruvianus could encompass cryptic species, as highlighted by the research of Ossa-López et al. (2018) and Mera et al. (2023). Their studies unveiled that A. peruvianus actually constitutes a species complex, revealing the presence of at least five inferred putative species within its framework. ...
... A total of 68 occurrence records of A. peruvianus were compiled from field trips, specimens deposited in the collection of the Instituto de Biodiversidad Neotropical (IBN), and scientific articles covering Colombia (Ossa-López et al. 2018), Ecuador (Gill et al. 2016), Peru (Mera et al. 2023), Bolivia (Molineri et al. 2020), and Argentina (Nieto 2004;Molineri et al. 2020; Buitrago-Guacaneme 2023) (Fig. 1). To minimize spatial autocorrelation between occurrences, records were spatially filtered based on a 10 km radius (Cobos et al. 2019;Medina et al. 2020), resulting in 65 unique localities. ...
Mountainous regions are biodiversity hotspots with a high rate of endemism. However, these areas are witnessing accelerated warming, that threaten biodiversity and potentially causes habitat shrinkage for many species. Our study focuses on one such species, Andesiops peruvianus, a native mayfly of the mountains regions of South America. Our objectives were to analyze the genetic diversity of the 16 S gene in several populations, to assess their climate niche and potential distribution under future climate change scenarios. For genetic analysis samples were collected and sequenced from different sites across the South America (Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Colombia) and combine with the GenBank database. We identified 17 unique haplotypes based on 16 S gene, grouping them into two mains lineages: northern (Colombia and Ecuador) and southern (Bolivia and Argentina). Niche analysis showed a significant divergence between the northern and the southern lineages, suggesting distinct ecological niches. As future climatic changes were examined, both groups were observed to potentially lose about half of their suitable habitats. Habitat loss is the greatest at lower altitudes, but with some gain at higher altitudes. Isothermality and Annual Mean Temperature played a crucial role in defining habitats suitable for A. peruvianus. These features, coupled with their low thermal tolerance, might render the species particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.
Tropical high-mountain lakes are low-temperature oligotrophic ecosystems with biological communities adapted to extreme conditions. Ecological information of these communities constitutes an important baseline, especially, facing climate change and anthropogenic activity. Hence, this study’s objective was identifying environmental variables that control spatial/temporal distribution of littoral macroinvertebrate communities in quasi-pristine lakes of Ecuador. Hydro-morphological, water quality and micro-habitat variables were monitored and macroinvertebrates sampled in 202 lakes. Further, 24 environmental variables were monitored and macroinvertebrates sampled, monthly, in 10 lakes. Twenty-two community metrics per lake were calculated. Partial Redundancy Analysis and Generalised Linear Model revealed that ecosystems response of macroinvertebrate communities to environmental variables is complex, spatially and temporally. Altitude was associated, negatively, with some richness community metrics (Total, Non-insect, Insect, Trichoptera, Odonata-Coleoptera-Heteroptera) and, positively, with the relative abundance (RA) of some taxa (Andesiops, Anomalocosmoecus, Limnophora). The RA of several taxa (Ostracoda, Metrichia, Palpomyia, Aeshna and Dixa) increased in larger lakes with alkaline pH (above 8.2); and in smaller lakes with higher ammonium concentrations (above 30 μEq l⁻¹) (Liodessus, Dixella, Rhinoaeshna). Monthly macroinvertebrate community variation was not detected. However, considering three climatic phases, non-insect richness, sample RA, and the RA of Helobdella, and of Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera, differed.
Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) offer objective solutions in the elaboration of taxonomic keys, such as the processing of large numbers of samples, aiding in the species identification, and optimizing the time required for this process. We utilized ML to study the morphological data of eight species of Americabaetis Kluge 1992, a diverse genus in South American freshwater environments. Decision trees were employed, examining specimens from the Museu de Entomologia da Universidade Federal de Viçosa (UFVB/Brazil) and literature data. Eleven morphological traits of taxonomic importance from the literature, including frontal keel, shape of the mouthparts, and abdominal color pattern, were analyzed. The decision tree obtained with the Gini algorithm effectively differentiates eight species (40% of the known species), using only eight morphological characters. Our analysis revealed distinct groups within Americabaetis alphus Lugo-Ortiz and McCafferty 1996a, based on variations in abdominal tracheae pigmentation. This study introduces a novel approach, integrating AI techniques, biological collections, and literature data for aid in the Americabaetis species identification. It provides a valuable tool for taxonomic research on contemporary and extinct mayflies.
