Distributional trends and species richness of Maryland, USA stoneflies (Insecta: Plecoptera), with an emphasis on the Appalachian region

Faunistic studies of regional biodiversity of aquatic insects are increasing in importance as declines are noted globally. Federal and state government conservation attempts for rare and threatened species are predicated upon the initial research of specialized taxonomists and trained field biologists. Reporting of aquatic insect occurrence data provides a baseline for conservation agencies to compare water quality monitoring studies. Updated fieldwork, literature reviews, and database queries for stoneflies from the mid-Atlantic USA state of Maryland necessitated an assessment of species diversity for the state. Seven new state records and one new literature record are presented, bringing the total number of species to 122. Chao1 estimates of species richness are presented for diversity hotspots and the state as a whole, indicating that increased sampling is still necessary to fully understand diversity patterns. Accompanying are assessments of elevation trends and adult presence patte...全球范围内水生昆虫种群衰退现象日益受到关注，针对区域水生昆虫生物多样性的区系研究重要性也与日俱增。美国联邦与州级政府针对珍稀濒危物种的保护举措，均以专业分类学家与受过训练的野外生物学家的先期研究为根基。水生昆虫发生数据的公开报道，可为保护机构开展水质监测研究的对比提供基准参照。针对美国大西洋中部马里兰州的襀翅目（stoneflies）开展的更新版野外调查、文献综述与数据库检索工作，使得对该州物种多样性进行系统评估成为必要。本次研究共报道7个州级新记录种与1个文献新记录种，使该州已知襀翅目物种总数增至122种。本研究针对生物多样性热点区域及全州范围给出了Chao1物种丰富度估计结果，表明仍需加大采样力度，方能全面阐明该区域的物种多样性分布格局。本研究同时开展了海拔梯度趋势与成虫出现模式的相关评估……