Oligochaeta (Annelida: Clitellata) in the Juruena River, MT, Brazil: species indicators of substrate types

Abstract: Oligochaeta assemblages are important components in freshwater environments, where their abundance and composition may indicate aspects related to water quality and sediment. The lack of information about these communities in Brazilian aquatic environments, as well as the application of native species as bioindicators of lotic environmental, stimulated the conception of this paper. Thus, the aim was to study the community of aquatic Oligochaeta in selected stretches of the Juruena River (MT), thereby generating grounds for future environmental monitoring action in lotic ecosystems. For this purpose, samples were analyzed at bimonthly intervals during the period from January to November 2009, in stretches of the Juruena River (Amazon River Basin) located in the State of Mato Grosso (MT). Two methods were used to collect the organisms: a) "D" network in small clusters of fixed macrophytes in the sediment on the river banks; and b) Ekman-Birge dredge in fine sediment. Preliminary results were 584 organisms distributed in 22 taxa. Of these, 22 valid species were identified. This number corresponds to approximately 25% of the aquatic oligochaete species registered in Brazil. Of these species, Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri, Dero nivea and Pristina rosea can be associated with organic enrichment conditions and/or some level of environmental degradation.