Open Access

Die Fundmeldungen in Band 33 von Botanik und Naturschutz in Hessen stammen von: Dirk Bönsel, Martin de Jong, Wolfgang Ehmke, Peter Emrich, Benjamin Feller, Brunhilde Göbel, Thomas Gregor, Arthur Händler, Sylvain Hodvina, Gerwin Kasperek, Egbert Korte, Ute Lange, Stefan Meyer, Hasko Friedrich Nesemann, Uwe Raabe, Bernd Sauerwein, Marco Schmidt, Christof Nikolaus Schröder, Antje Schwab, Rainer Stoodt und Michael Uebeler.

The present study focuses on the Benthic Macroinvertebrate Fauna of natural running waters and semi-natural stagnant waters of Himalayan region and Lowlands in the Ganges River Basin. Habitat quality assessment using three different biotic scores was applied for 32 sampling sites of running waters and 26 sampling sites of stagnant waters. Benthic Macroinvertebrates were used as bio-indicators. Calculation of water quality was done based on a recently established five-class system, to describe the degree of organic pollution. Sampling localities are covering all longitudinal biocoenotic zones and lateral zones to include the traditionally well defined types of running and stagnant waters of altitudinal range from 54- to 2480 m asl. The impact of natural organic load was studied to describe the variation of Ecological quality classes within different eco-regions. Ecological quality was defined as a result of the water quality class together with the eco-morphology status of the water body. Class I (Excellent) is present only in spring-near headwaters of forested areas or in running waters coming from higher elevations between 490 to 2500 m asl. Class II (Good) and III (Moderate) is the normal reference condition for lowlands and the Gangetic plains. Wetlands, oxbow-lakes and "old" ponds have usually class II or III, independent from the grade of forests due to natural organic load accumulated during monsoon flood. Water quality undergoes seasonal changes from III (moderate) in pre-monsoon to II (good) during and after monsoon. The highest diversity with >30-42 identified taxa per sampling site (Class I) was found in the Rhithron zone of densely forested parts of Nepal, followed with >20-30 identified taxa by the Metapotamon zone (Class II, III) of large rivers in the Gangetic Plains of India. In stagnant water bodies the maximum diversity reaches >30-76 identified taxa (Class II, III) in Nepal and Maharashtra between 197-1170 m asl, whereas the floodplain wetland diversity reaches only 27 taxa (Class III). The proposed use of selected Insect-groups as bio-indicators for Lowlands and Middle Mountains includes colored illustrated catalogue of Dragonflies (Odonata), Bugs (Heteroptera), and Cockroaches (Blattodea). 12 families with 31 taxa of Odonata Nymphs, 14 families with 27 taxa of Heteroptera Nymphs and Adults, one family with two taxa of Blattodea Nymphs and Adults are described and figured with identification characters and ecological habitat observations. This will be the first key based on material mainly from Nepal and India for the Ganges River Basin.