The Ziller River, a tributary to the Inn in Tyrol, Austria, is affected by hydropower generation. Macroinvertebrate habitat‐preferences were investigated in the field and corresponding habitat suitability curves were applied successfully... more
The Ziller River, a tributary to the Inn in Tyrol, Austria, is affected by hydropower generation. Macroinvertebrate habitat‐preferences were investigated in the field and corresponding habitat suitability curves were applied successfully to a novel integrative assessment method based on hydrodynamic modelling. Here, a reach of the Ziller River is simulated using a three‐dimensional unsteady hydrodynamic model. The three‐dimensional simulation results are applied to a predictive macroinvertebrate habitat model. Habitat suitably indices (HSI) are calculated based on temporal alterations of bed shear stress values. Model results are free from two‐dimensional flow‐averaging approximations and demonstrate the critical information lost in lower‐order models due to simplification procedures. Shear stress values, three‐dimensional simulated velocity components, and temporal alterations of flow are provided in the current study. Considering the simulation results, the implementation of the provided supplementary simulation details in macroinvertebrate studies and the integration into further habitat investigations is discussed.
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Annitella apfelbecki is one of three Annitella species with distribution ranges restricted to the Balkan Peninsula. In this paper, we describe the hitherto unknown female of A. apfelbecki and give the most important morphological features... more
Annitella apfelbecki is one of three Annitella species with distribution ranges restricted to the Balkan Peninsula. In this paper, we describe the hitherto unknown female of A. apfelbecki and give the most important morphological features to enable its identification and separation from the other Annitella females. Additionally, we provide new data on distribution and discuss zoogeography, life cycle and ecology
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This paper gives a description of the hitherto unknown larva of Chaetopteryx rugulosa Kolenati 1848 (Trichoptera: Limnephilidae). Information on the morphology of the larva is given, and the most important diagnostic features are figured.... more
This paper gives a description of the hitherto unknown larva of Chaetopteryx rugulosa Kolenati 1848 (Trichoptera: Limnephilidae). Information on the morphology of the larva is given, and the most important diagnostic features are figured. In the context of the known European Chaetopterygini and Stenophylacini species, the larva of C. rugulosa can be separated from morphologically close species by metanotal sclerite morphology, setation, the extension of the lateral fringe, and by case morphology.
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Adult Trichoptera were caught from 26 September, 2001 to 7 November, 2002 at the banks of the March River at Angern, Lower Austria, using a Jermy-type light trap. From a total of 36,780 specimens caught, the most abundant species were... more
Adult Trichoptera were caught from 26 September, 2001 to 7 November, 2002 at the banks of the March River at Angern, Lower Austria, using a Jermy-type light trap. From a total of 36,780 specimens caught, the most abundant species were Hydropsyche bulgaromanorum MALICKY, Hydropsyche contubernalis MCLACHLAN, Setodes punctatus (FABRICIUS), Ceraclea dissimilis (STEPHENS), Ceraclea albimacula (RAMBUR) and Hydropsyche modesta NAVAS. In five out of the thirteen most abundant species the sex ratios significantly differed from 1:1, with an excess of males in H. modesta and S. punctatus and an excess of females in Agapetus laniger, Orthotrichia costalis and Ecnomus tenellus. Of the meteorological parameters tested, only sunset and midnight air temperatures as well as precipitation had significant (P < 0.05) effects on total catch. The longitudinal classification of the sampling station based on species-specific zonal distribution patterns of caddisflies yielded highest scores in the epi- and metapotamal region.
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The Republic of Croatia is placed in the south-east part of Europe. Its territory covers 56000 km2 of land and 32000 km2 of sea. According to the climate and geomorphological particularities three zones can be distinguished: a continental... more
The Republic of Croatia is placed in the south-east part of Europe. Its territory covers 56000 km2 of land and 32000 km2 of sea. According to the climate and geomorphological particularities three zones can be distinguished: a continental region between the rivers Sava and Drava with continental climate (hot summers and frosty winters), a central highland region with typical mountain climate (short summers, long winters with plenty of snow) and a Mediterranean region with Mediterranean climate (warm and long summers and mild and rainy winters respectively). A geomorphological important part of Croatia is the karst-region (calciferous area) which covers the central-highland and the Mediterranean part. These climate and geomorphological features dominantly influence the hydrological and ecological characteristics of freshwater systems there. Two watersheds can be distinguished: the Black-sea and the Adriatic. Mediterranean region belongs to the Adriatic watersheds. The first data on the Trichoptera fauna of Croatia are known from the second half of the 19th century (Brauer, 1876). Some data were added by Klapalek (1906), Langhoffer (1912, 1915) and Radovanovic (1935) in the first half of the 20th century while some more by Marinkovic-Gospodnetic (1971, 1979) in the second half. Limnological investigations started in the middle of the fifties and were based on larvale determination with contributed only marginally our overall knowledge on the Croatian Trichoptera fauna. Systematic investigation of Trichoptera based on studies of adults started only 15 years ago with filedwork in the National park Plitvice Lakes and later in different our investigation we also included caddisflies collections from museums in Zagreb and Varaždin. By comparing species inventories from neighbouring countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Hungary, Serbia, Slovenia) approximately 80 to 85 % of the Croatian species richness have been recorded up to now. Four species in Croatian fauna are endemics: Rhyacophila cabrekenensis, Tinodes andrasi, Chaetopteryx bucari n.sp. and Chaetopteryx uherkovici. Future investigations of caddiflies especially in the continental lowland area and mountains in eastern part of Croatia will provide additional knowledge to current data regarding characteristics of the Trichopteran fauna in Croatia.
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Large wood (LW) is an indispensable element in riverine ecosystems, especially in lower river parts. The presence of LW significantly shapes local hydraulics, morphology, the nutrient budget; promotes overall river dynamics; and... more
Large wood (LW) is an indispensable element in riverine ecosystems, especially in lower river parts. The presence of LW significantly shapes local hydraulics, morphology, the nutrient budget; promotes overall river dynamics; and additionally presents a unique habitat for numerous benthic invertebrate species. Therefore, LW is recognized as valuable asset for river restoration measures. Experiences from previous projects show that ecological responses on LW implementation measures vary greatly. That complicates comparisons and estimations on the success of planned measures. Methodological inconsistencies and thus reduced transferability of the results is one major issue. Additionally, wood quality aspects are suspected to be important factors affecting benthic invertebrate colonization patterns. The focus of this study is therefore to consistently assess the ecological significance of installed LW and concrete samples of similar size and shape in terms of benthic invertebrate coloniz...
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In Central Europe freshwater ecosystems have to deal with a loss of habitat structures due to channelisation and standardisation. Unimpaired streams and rivers are very rare, which leads to a few, remaining populations of sensitive... more
In Central Europe freshwater ecosystems have to deal with a loss of habitat structures due to channelisation and standardisation. Unimpaired streams and rivers are very rare, which leads to a few, remaining populations of sensitive invertebrate species which are severely fragmented. This progress is mainly noticed in lowland rivers in agricultural intensely used areas, where habitat degradation and pollution affect the ecosystems. Additional pressures on the freshwater systems will be expected due to climate change effects. In the Austrian Lowlands, an increase of air temperature about 2-2.5 °C is predicted till 2040. This will in turn lead to the highest increase in water temperature in the lowland rivers of the "Hungarian Plains", Ecoregion 11 on which the impacts of climate change will most likely be highest in Austria. Global warming on its own may lead to severe changes in aquatic ecosystems. Human impacts increase the negative effects even more. Main factors for a su...
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This paper summarizes the layout, the three work packages (WP) and the preliminary (November 2014) as well as intended outcomes of the Drusinae project funded by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF).
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Figure 12 from: Terefe Y, Vitecek S, Graf W (2018) Description of the larva of Oecetis mizrain Malicky & Graf, 2012 (Trichoptera, Leptoceridae) and Lepidostoma scotti (Ulmer, 1930) (Trichoptera, Lepidostomatidae) from Chilimo Forest, Central Ethiopia. ZooKeys 766: 63-77. https://doi.org/10.3897/z...more
Figures 20-24 from: Terefe Y, Vitecek S, Graf W (2018) Description of the larva of Oecetis mizrain Malicky & Graf, 2012 (Trichoptera, Leptoceridae) and Lepidostoma scotti (Ulmer, 1930) (Trichoptera, Lepidostomatidae) from Chilimo Forest, Central Ethiopia. ZooKeys 766: 63-77. https://doi.org/10.38...more
Figures 1-6 from: Terefe Y, Vitecek S, Graf W (2018) Description of the larva of Oecetis mizrain Malicky & Graf, 2012 (Trichoptera, Leptoceridae) and Lepidostoma scotti (Ulmer, 1930) (Trichoptera, Lepidostomatidae) from Chilimo Forest, Central Ethiopia. ZooKeys 766: 63-77. https://doi.org/10.3897...more
Simon Vitecek (1), Agnés Bouchez (2), Kat Bruce (3), Fedor Čiampor (4), Torbjørn Ekrem (5), Diego Fontaneto (6), Alain Franc (7), Wolfram Graf (8), Daniel Hering (9), Maria Kahlert (10), Emre Keskin (11), Patricia Mergen (12), Kristian... more
Simon Vitecek (1), Agnés Bouchez (2), Kat Bruce (3), Fedor Čiampor (4), Torbjørn Ekrem (5), Diego Fontaneto (6), Alain Franc (7), Wolfram Graf (8), Daniel Hering (9), Maria Kahlert (10), Emre Keskin (11), Patricia Mergen (12), Kristian Meissner (13), Steffen Pauls (1), Jan Pawlowski (14), Ana Rotter (15), Astrid Schmidt Kloiber (8), Alexander Weigand (9), Jonas Zimmermann (16), and Florian Leese (9)
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The bioassessment of aquatic ecosystems is currently based on various biotic indices that use the occurrence and/or abundance of selected taxonomic groups to define ecological status. These conventional indices have some limitations,... more
The bioassessment of aquatic ecosystems is currently based on various biotic indices that use the occurrence and/or abundance of selected taxonomic groups to define ecological status. These conventional indices have some limitations, often related to difficulties in morphological identification of bioindicator taxa. Recent development of DNA barcoding and metabarcoding could potentially alleviate some of these limitations, by using DNA sequences instead of morphology to identify organisms and to characterize a given ecosystem. In this paper, we review the structure of conventional biotic indices, and we present the results of pilot metabarcoding studies using environmental DNA to infer biotic indices. We discuss the main advantages and pitfalls of metabarcoding approaches to assess parameters such as richness, abundance, taxonomic composition and species ecological values, to be used for calculation of biotic indices. We present some future developments to fully exploit the potentia...
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FIGURE 1. Adicella cremisa adult, resting position; note the long whitishantennae.
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Vinçon, Gilles, Graf, Wolfram (2011): Two New Alpine Leuctra In The L. Braueri Species Group (Plecoptera, Leuctridae). Illiesia 7 (9): 92-103, DOI: http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4760461
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diversity of caddisflies in the Balkans: the curious case of Ecclisopteryx species
Within the genus Leuctra (Plecoptera: Leuctridae) the L. inermis species group comprises 17 – 18 species in which males lack the characteristic tergal abdominal ornamentation of many Leuctra species, and females have an accessory... more
Within the genus Leuctra (Plecoptera: Leuctridae) the L. inermis species group comprises 17 – 18 species in which males lack the characteristic tergal abdominal ornamentation of many Leuctra species, and females have an accessory receptacle in the dorsal portion of the vagina. Taxonomically the group is challenging, and congruence of existing morphological species concepts and phylogenetic relationships of taxa is hitherto not assessed. Here, we estimate phylogenetic relations of morphologically defined species by concatenated maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian combined species tree and species delimitation analysis. We aim to clarify the status of 15 European species of the L. inermis group and 2 potential new species. To this end, we infer relationships on a 2580 bp, 4 loci (mtCOI, mt12S, nuH3, nu28S) molecular sequence dataset. We further depict abdominal terminalia with their morphological characteristics for 15 L. inermis group species, and describe 2 micro-endemic species fr...
Research Interests: Geography and Hydropower
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This paper summarises the results regarding aquatic invertebrates of a few excursions to the Vjosa in Albania, in the vicinity of the villages Poçem und Kutë. It mainly aims to document the status of one of the last free-flowing rivers in... more
This paper summarises the results regarding aquatic invertebrates of a few excursions to the Vjosa in Albania, in the vicinity of the villages Poçem und Kutë. It mainly aims to document the status of one of the last free-flowing rivers in Europe, based on its aquatic communities prior to the realisation of the planned building of hydropower plants. In total, 91 taxa of Caddisflies (Trichoptera), Stoneflies (Plecoptera), Dipterans (Diptera), Alder flies (Megaloptera), Bugs (Heteroptera), Beetles (Coleoptera) and Crustaceans were recorded. Additionally, the development of aquatic invertebrate communities of large rivers in Central Europe is shortly debated underlining the outstanding ecological status of the Vjosa. Remarks on scientific knowledge gaps in river functioning of large rivers as well as conservation issues in an international context are added.
According to Malicky (1995), genus Metalype Klapalek, 1898 is a synonym to Psychomyia Latreille, 1829 and, based on priority, the latter genus designation has to be used for Metalype fragilis Pictet, 1834, too. Therefore, together with... more
According to Malicky (1995), genus Metalype Klapalek, 1898 is a synonym to Psychomyia Latreille, 1829 and, based on priority, the latter genus designation has to be used for Metalype fragilis Pictet, 1834, too. Therefore, together with the newly described Psychomyia klapaleki (Malicky, 1995) and the well-known Psychomyia pusilla Fabricius, 1781, there are now three Central-European Psy chomyia species. P. pusilla and P. fragilis are included in the larval keys of Edington & Hildrew (1995) and Waringer and Graf (1997, 2000), whereas P. kla paleki has been unknown so far. Recently, larvae and pupae of a Psychomyia species morphologically close to P. fragilis were collected from Zerovniscica, Zerovnica, Slovenia, which could be clearly associated with P. klapaleki by adults originating from the same location.
River systems have undergone a massive transformation since the Anthropocene. The natural properties of river systems have been drastically altered and reshaped, limiting the use of management frameworks, their scientific knowledge base... more
River systems have undergone a massive transformation since the Anthropocene. The natural properties of river systems have been drastically altered and reshaped, limiting the use of management frameworks, their scientific knowledge base and their ability to provide adequate solutions for current problems and those of the future, such as climate change, biodiversity crisis and increased demands for water resources. To address these challenges, a socioecologically driven research agenda for river systems that complements current approaches is needed and proposed. The implementation of the concepts of social metabolism and the colonisation of natural systems into existing concepts can provide a new basis to analyse the coevolutionary coupling of social systems with ecological and hydrological (i.e., 'socio-ecohydrological') systems within rivers. To operationalize this research agenda, we highlight four initial core topics defined as research clusters (RCs) to address specific system properties in an integrative manner. The colonisation of natural systems by social systems is seen as a significant driver of the transformation processes in river systems. These transformation processes are influenced by connectivity (RC 1), which primarily addresses biophysical aspects and governance (RC 2), which focuses on the changes in social systems. The metabolism (RC 3) and vulnerability (RC 4) of the social and natural systems are significant aspects of the coupling of social systems and ecohydrological systems with investments, energy, resources, services and associated risks and impacts. This socio-ecohydrological research agenda complements other recent approaches, such as 'socio-ecological', 'socio-hydrological' or 'socio-geomorphological' systems, by focusing on the coupling of social systems with natural systems in rivers and thus, by viewing the socioeconomic features of river systems as being just as important as their natural characteristics. The proposed research agenda builds on interdisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity and requires the implementation of such programmes into the education of a new generation of river system scientists, managers and engineers who are aware of the transformation processes and the coupling between systems.
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Specific concepts of fluvial ecology are well studied in riverine ecosystems of the temperate zone but poorly investigated in the Afrotropical region. Hence, we examined the longitudinal zonation of fish and adult caddisfly (Trichoptera)... more
Specific concepts of fluvial ecology are well studied in riverine ecosystems of the temperate zone but poorly investigated in the Afrotropical region. Hence, we examined the longitudinal zonation of fish and adult caddisfly (Trichoptera) assemblages in the endorheic Awash River (1,250 km in length), Ethiopia. We expected that species assemblages are structured along environmental gradients, reflecting the pattern of large-scale freshwater ecoregions. We applied multivariate statistical methods to test for differences in spatial species assemblage structure and identified characteristic taxa of the observed biocoenoses by indicator species analyses. Fish and caddisfly assemblages were clustered into highland and lowland communities, following the freshwater ecoregions, but separated by an ecotone with highest biodiversity. Moreover, the caddisfly results suggest separating the heterogeneous highlands into a forested and a deforested zone. Surprisingly, the Awash drainage is rather sp...
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For Europe, a reduction of 80% of the potential storage volume due to reservoir sedimentation is predicted by 2080. Sedimentation processes trigger the decrease of the storage volume and a related restriction in hydropower production.... more
For Europe, a reduction of 80% of the potential storage volume due to reservoir sedimentation is predicted by 2080. Sedimentation processes trigger the decrease of the storage volume and a related restriction in hydropower production. Further, the artificial downstream flushing of deposited fines has manifold effects on the aquatic ecology, including changes in morphology and sediment quality, as well as increased turbidity and subsequent stress for aquatic species. However, it is common to lower the water surface of reservoirs for technical inspections, which is not comparable to reservoir flushing operations. The presented case study deals with such a controlled drawdown beyond the operational level of the Gepatsch reservoir (Tyrol, Austria). Based on the awareness of possible ecological consequences, an advanced set of measures and an integrative monitoring design, consisting of a detailed event-based quantification of suspended sediments, changes in the morphology, especially wi...
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A new Drusinae species, Drusus katagelastos sp. nov., of the Drusus chapmani Species Complex, is described based on a male and associated larvae. Adult-larval association was achieved through DNA barcoding. The male of the new species... more
A new Drusinae species, Drusus katagelastos sp. nov., of the Drusus chapmani Species Complex, is described based on a male and associated larvae. Adult-larval association was achieved through DNA barcoding. The male of the new species differs from that of its congeners in the formation of the intermediate appendages and parameres. Information on the morphology of the larva is given, and important diagnostic features are discussed. In the context of filtering carnivore Drusinae, the larva of the new species can be separated from other filtering carnivore species by the dense cover of long translucent bristles within the frontal cavity surrounded by a circular corona of long bristles. Drusus katagelastos sp. nov. is known from only northwestern Italy (Piemonte).
Research Interests: Evolutionary Biology, Zoology, Biology, Ecology, Medicine, and 4 moreDNA Barcoding, Carnivore, Larva, and Caddisfly
Drusus klapaleki Marinković-Gospodnetić, 1971, is distributed in central Bosnia and Herzegovina and it belongs to the D. bosnicus Group. In the Balkan Peninsula, the D. bosnicus Group consists of 9 taxa with allopatric distribution. This... more
Drusus klapaleki Marinković-Gospodnetić, 1971, is distributed in central Bosnia and Herzegovina and it belongs to the D. bosnicus Group. In the Balkan Peninsula, the D. bosnicus Group consists of 9 taxa with allopatric distribution. This study has 2 objectives. One is to describe the morphological characters of the Drusus klapaleki larva. Another objective is to find certain morphological and ecological features to larvae of the species belonging to the D. bosnicus Group from the Balkan Peninsula.
Research Interests: Geography, Biology, Ecology, Montenegro, Allopatric Speciation, and 4 moreLarva, Balkan Peninsula, peninsula, and Taxon
The Ethiopian caddisfly fauna comprises 85 species, including 10Oecetisspecies and threeLepidostomaspecies. In this context we provide the first species-level descriptions of Ethiopian caddisfly larvae. We describe and illustrate the... more
The Ethiopian caddisfly fauna comprises 85 species, including 10Oecetisspecies and threeLepidostomaspecies. In this context we provide the first species-level descriptions of Ethiopian caddisfly larvae. We describe and illustrate the larvae ofO.mizrainandL.scotti, with additional notes on their habitats and distribution.
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A new species of stonefly of the genus Siphonoperla from the Dinaric Mountains of Macedonia is described. The descrip-tion of S. korab sp. n. is based on morphological and genetic characters. We also provide notes on habitat and... more
A new species of stonefly of the genus Siphonoperla from the Dinaric Mountains of Macedonia is described. The descrip-tion of S. korab sp. n. is based on morphological and genetic characters. We also provide notes on habitat and distribution of this new taxon. Further notes on the biogeography of the genus are added.
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The paper gives a description of the hitherto unknown or poorly known larvae of Allogamus antennatus (McLachlan 1876),Allogamus mendax (McLachlan 1876) and Allogamus pertuli Malicky 1975. Information on the morphology of the larvae... more
The paper gives a description of the hitherto unknown or poorly known larvae of Allogamus antennatus (McLachlan 1876),Allogamus mendax (McLachlan 1876) and Allogamus pertuli Malicky 1975. Information on the morphology of the larvae isgiven and the most important diagnostic features are illustrated. In the context of already available keys, the larva of A. anten-natus keys together with Annitella obscurata (McLachlan 1876) and Annitella thuringica (Ulmer 1909). The species may beseparated by the presence of setal groups between posteromedian and lateral metanotal sclerites in A. antennatus and differ-ences in head width, central prosternite proportions and lateral fringe length. Allogamus mendax keys together with Allogamusuncatus (Brauer 1857); both species are very similar except in head width. Finally, A. pertuli keys with Melampophylaxmucoreus (Hagen 1861) and M. nepos (McLachlan 1880). Whereas a setal band anterior of the lateral protuberance on the firstabdominal segment is pre...
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A key challenge for the ecological risk assessment of chemicals has been to evaluate the relative contribution of chemical pollution to the variability observed in biological communities, as well as to identify multiple stressor groups.... more
A key challenge for the ecological risk assessment of chemicals has been to evaluate the relative contribution of chemical pollution to the variability observed in biological communities, as well as to identify multiple stressor groups. In this study we evaluated the toxic pressure exerted by >200 contaminants to benthic macroinvertebrates in the Danube River using the Toxic Unit approach. Furthermore, we evaluated correlations between several stressors (chemical and non-chemical) and biological indices commonly used for the ecological status assessment of aquatic ecosystems. We also performed several variation partitioning analyses to evaluate the relative contribution of contaminants and other abiotic parameters (i.e. habitat characteristics, hydromorphological alterations, water quality parameters) to the structural and biological trait variation of the invertebrate community. The results of this study show that most biological indices significantly correlate to parameters rel...