Spatial and temporal abundance,substrate partitioning and species co-occurrence in a guild of Neotropical blackflies (Diptera: Simuliidae)

Blackfly larvae were sampled monthly from two smallNeotropical mountain streams 500 m apart from each other in northernVenezuela during a 15-month period, and ten habitat variables weremeasured at two altitudes (800 and 900 m) to determine local spatialand temporal variations in abundance, stream variables, speciesco-occurrence, and substrate preference within the blackflyguild. The blackfly species composition of each stream was the same,with five species (in order of abundance): Simulium ochraceumWalker s.l., S. paynei Vargas, S. metallicum Bellardicytospecies E, Simulium sp., and S. horacioi Okazawa &Onishi. There were clear differences in community structurebetween streams (not among altitudes), although S. ochraceums.l. was the most abundant species in both habitats. Principal component andcorrelation analyses revealed that structural (great depth, width,flow, and discharge) and chemical (low conductivity) factors werethe stream variables best associated to the spatial distribution ofmost blackfly species. Blackfly abundance was greater in the largerstream. Larvae were most abundant on submerged rocks and fallenleaves, although the patterns of substrate use within the guildrevealed substrate partitioning among most blackfly species.There was one general annual peak of abundance at the end of therainy season. We suggest that blackfly community structure in theseNeotropical headwaters streams, over the small spatial scaleexamined here, is largely influenced by interactions among streamsize and velocity-related factors (width, streamflow, discharge andsubstrate availability-stability) and the rainfall regime.