Diversity and abundance of macroinvertebrates in the Bosque Protector Cerro Blanco

A total of 201 individuals were recorded corresponding to three phyla: Arthropoda, Mollusca and Annelida. The most abundant phyllum was Arthropoda (85%), followed by Mollusca (15%) and the least abundant phyllum was Annelida. The most abundant invertebrates in the study area were insects with 164 individuals, with fewer gastropods with 30 individuals, 6 crustaceans and only one oligochaete. The most abundant insect families were Leptophlebiidae, Helicopsychidae and Veliidae corresponding to the orders Ephemeroptera, Tricoptera and Hemiptera respectively. The observed families of gastropods correspond to Thiaridae, Hydrobiidae and Planorbidae. In the case of crustaceans, two families, Pseudothelphusidae and Hyalellidae, were recorded. Oligochaetes were the least abundant organisms overall in this study with only 1 individual identified only at the class level. In terms of invasive species, Melanoides tuberculata and Hypolobocera guayaquilensis were recorded as intermediate host crayfish of Paragonimus mexicanus, which produces the paragonimiasis disease affecting the lungs of consumers that feed on this crayfish.