Ephemeroptera

Aydinli, Caner, Received, Nesil Ertorun & Online, Published, 2015, Species records of Ephemeroptera (Insecta) nymphs in the Gediz River basin with a new record for the Turkish fauna: Labiobaetis atrebatinus Eaton, 1870, Turkish Journal of Zoology 39 (4), pp. 587-595 : 587

Species belonging to the Ephemeroptera order are known as the oldest and most primitive winged insects, having existed since the time of the Carboniferous and Permian. They show a hemimetabolous development and spend most of their life in fresh waters as nymphs ( Brittain and Sartori, 2003).

Ephemeroptera nymphs play a very important role in the aquatic food chain, especially in secondary production, since a large majority of them are herbivores, feeding on detritus or algae, and they are present in almost all kinds of fresh waters throughout the year ( Zelinka, 1984; Brittain and Sartori, 2003). However, they are very sensitive to water pollution and therefore have been used as bioindicator organisms in several biotic indexes and methods ( Elliott et al., 1988; Moog et al., 1997). Since Ephemeroptera is known as one of the oldest insect orders and the species have some limitations on their distribution such as having a short life span, weak flight ability in the adult stage, and a fully aquatic nymphal stage, they are one of the most important groups used in zoogeographical studies ( Brittain, 1982; Kazancı, 2001a, 2001b).

The Gediz River basin has an important location due to its very close geographical position to a migration route between Europe and Anatolia since the glacial age. Therefore, the aim of this study is to determine the Ephemeroptera fauna of the Gediz River basin and contribute to the knowledge of the Ephemeroptera fauna of Turkey.

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