Cairns, Andi, Davis, Linda, and Pearson, Richard (2017) Guide to the riffle invertebrates of Australian Wet Tropics streams with a bibliography of their ecology. Report. TropWater, Townsville, QLD, Australia.

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Abstract

This guide is derived from a research project on the ecology of stream invertebrates in the Australian Wet Tropics bioregion, north-eastern Queensland (the largely forested coastal region between Cooktown and Townsville). The invertebrate fauna of this region is very rich, with particular sites recording many more species than have been found elsewhere in Australia (see bibliography). The guide focuses on the fauna of riffles because they provide a standard habitat for comparison between sites, and because they are easy to sample. Riffles are those shallow stony areas of streams where the flow is strongest and more or less turbulent (see plates overleaf). The keys presented here include fauna found during a three-year survey of about 80 sites (Pearson et al. 2017). It is possible that animals not represented here will turn up in riffles from time to time (for example, many different dragonfly groups occur in pool habitats). The keys are to major groups of invertebrates, mostly to the family level, based on more extensive keys, cited in each section. This level of identification is adequate for most monitoring purposes. For some invertebrate groups, while keys to genera and even species are available, they are unlikely to be comprehensive because of the ever-increasing number of species being described. Additionally, specific identifications are mostly unnecessary for the likely users of the guide. The drawings in this guide are all original (by Andi Cairns and Linda Davis) and based on alcoholpreserved material. They should help identify most specimens even when the keys are difficult to follow. Precise identification often depends on understanding the morphology of the animal in question, so we provide explanatory figures as necessary. A glossary of morphological terms is included towards the end of the guide. We also provide a list of references cited, followed by a bibliography of scientific papers and reports concerning the ecology of aquatic invertebrates of the Wet Tropics. Users may be interested in following up other more comprehensive guides such as Williams (1980), CSIRO (1991), Hawking and Smith (1997), Gooderham and Tsyrlin (2002) and the many excellent publications by the Cooperative Research Centre for Freshwater Ecology and the Murray Darling Freshwater Research Centre. Information on all the invertebrate groups included here is readily available via the Internet and at Wikipedia. The keys and drawings were originally produced in the 1990s and have not been updated in making this guide generally available.

Item ID:	60362
Item Type:	Report (Report)
Keywords:	north-eastern Queensland, aquatic fauna, stony streams
Date Deposited:	12 Sep 2019 06:44
FoR Codes:	06 BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES > 0602 Ecology > 060204 Freshwater Ecology @ 100%
SEO Codes:	96 ENVIRONMENT > 9608 Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity > 960807 Fresh, Ground and Surface Water Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity @ 100%
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