Loading...
Please wait, while we are loading the content...
First records of freshwater oligochaetes (Annelida, Clitellata) from caves in Illinois and Missouri, USA
| Content Provider | Semantic Scholar |
|---|---|
| Author | Wetzel, Mark J. Taylor, Steven J. |
| Copyright Year | 2001 |
| Abstract | The fauna of Illinois and Missouri caves has been the subject of several faunal surveys (Craig 1977; Gardner 1986; Lewis 1974; Lewis et al. 1999; Peck & Lewis 1978; Peck & Christiansen 1990; Webb et al. 1993). While several of these studies listed edaphobitic oligochaetes (families Acanthodrilidae, Komarekionidae, Lumbricidae, and many Enchytraeidae), none reported the presence of aquatic Oligochaeta. Illinois’ epigean aquatic oligochaete fauna includes 86 species in 44 genera representing seven families (Wetzel 1992), some of which are from karst springs (Webb et al. 1995; Webb et al. 1996, 1998b). Aquatic oligochaetes are poorly known in Missouri, but a similar degree of diversity is expected to occur there. Elsewhere in North America, records of aquatic oligochaetes from cave streams are sparse (e.g., Brinkhurst 1986; Cook 1971, 1975; Holsinger & Culver 1988; Kathman & Brinkhurst 1984; Reeves & Reynolds 1999; Reeves et al. 2000), but phreatic and hyporheic habitats are known to harbor a variety of aquatic oligochaetes (Gibert et al. 1994; Rodriguez 1996; Rodriguez & Coates 1996; Strayer 2001; Strayer et al. 1995), including a new family of freshwater annelids (Parvidrilidae: Parvidrilus strayeri Erséus, 1999) recently described from the hyporheic zone of a spring-fed stream (Erséus 1999). Culver et al. (2000) noted that the under-representation of groups such as the aquatic oligochaetes in published accounts might alter our understanding of the taxonomic pattern of cave biodiversity in the United States. We examined aquatic oligochaetes collected from the fine sediments of streams in several of the longest caves in Illinois and Missouri (Middleton & Waltham 1986) in conjunction with studies of the fauna and water quality of caves in the karst areas of southwestern Illinois and southeastern Missouri (Taylor & Webb 2000; Taylor et al. 2000). SITE DESCRIPTIONS |
| Starting Page | 99 |
| Ending Page | 104 |
| Page Count | 6 |
| File Format | PDF HTM / HTML |
| Volume Number | 63 |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://wwx.inhs.illinois.edu/files/4113/4211/3772/JCKS63p99.pdf |
| Language | English |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
