Diversity of aquatic and semi-aquatic insects in Wadi Al-Walah in Jordan

Abstract

The aquatic and semi-aquatic insects of Wadi Al-Walah, Jordan were collected biweekly from five sites from August 2015 to August 2016. A total of 24,176 specimens of aquatic and semi-aquatic insects representing at least 75 identified or putative species of 33 families and seven insect orders were collected. The most abundant insect order was the Ephemeroptera (mayflies) of the family Caenidae. The Diptera (the flies) was the most diverse (43 species in 13 families), followed by Coleoptera (beetles) (10 species in 3 families), Hemiptera (true bugs) (7 species in 6 families), Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) (7 species in 5 families), Ephemeroptera (4 species in 3 families) and Trichoptera (caddisflies) (3 species in 2 families). A total of 22 species were recorded for the first time from Jordan; 8 were identified to the species level. Larvae of all collected species are briefly described and color images are provided illustrating morphological structures useful for future identification, especially for the Diptera. The results of our study indicated an urgent need for identification manuals for aquatic insects to support freshwater quality assessments in developing regions of Jordan and other eastern Mediterranean countries.

Keywords:

• Aquatic Coleoptera
• Diptera
• Hemiptera
• Neuroptera
• Odonata
• Trichoptera