Life cycles of 17 riffle-dwelling mayfly species (Baetidae, Heptageniidae, and Ephemerellidae) in central Japan

Abstract

We described the life cycles of 17 riffle-dwelling mayfly species in a central Japanese stream. Both species of Baetidae (Alainites yoshinensis Gose and Baetis thermicus Uéno) and two of nine species of Heptageniidae (Ecdyonurus scalaris Kluge and Epeorus latifolium Uéno/l-nigrus Matsumura) in this stream were multivoltine (more than one generation per year). Seven other heptageniid species (two unidentified species of Cinygmula, Epeorus aesculus Imanishi, E. curvatulus Matsumura, E. ikanonis Takahashi, E. napaeus Imanishi, and Rhithrogena japonica Uéno) and all six species of Ephemerellidae [Cincticostella elongatula (McLachlan), C. nigra (Uéno), Drunella basalis (Imanishi), D. ishiyamana Matsumura, D. sachalinensis (Matsumura), and D. trispina (Uéno)] were essentially univoltine.

Habitat and benthic community correlates of Epeorus longimanus (Ephemeroptera: Heptageniidae) microdistribution in a Colorado, USA, stream riffle

“…Little is known about the ecology and within-riffle microdistribution of early instars of most lotic insect species, and even community-level ecology regarding the microdistribution of aquatic insects within riffle habitats is poorly known (Brown and Basinger Brown 1984, Brooks et al 2005). For example, most studies on the life history of heptageniid mayflies (and thus their early instars) have focused on descriptions of early life stages, phenology, secondary production, or the effects of temperature on developmental rates (Needham et al 1935, Minshall 1967, Lehmkuhl 1968, González et al 2003, Scherr et al 2010, Tamura and Kagaya 2016). Although some environmental correlates other than temperature have been studied in relation to the microdistribution of aquatic insect assemblages or particular species regardless of age (e.g., McElhone and Davies 1983, Vodopich and Cowell 1984, Fenoglio et al 2004, Fujiwara et al 2022), very little has been done to study how these correlates may affect the life history and distribution of various instars within a species.…”