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UN INVENTAIRE DES EPHEMERES CHEZ NOS AMIS
D'OUTRE-MANCHE! |
| Après INVFMR pour la France, nos amis britanniques lancent le premier Inventaire des Ephémères des Iles Britanniques, sous la férule de Craig Macadam. Ces deux premiers inventaires européens structurés sont, nous le pensons, le début d'un très vaste travail, significatif à la fois évidemment sur le plan scientifique, mais aussi sur celui d'une prise de conscience européenne de la nécessité de mieux connaître pour mieux protéger les milieux aquatiques, au travers de groupes d'insectes indicateurs encore trop mal connus. C'est avec un immense plaisir que nous nous associons à ce travail, et que nous en suivrons l'évolution. Longue vie donc à cet inventaire, and good luck, Craig! |
| THE EPHEMEROPTERA RECORDING SCHEME HAS BEEN SET UP UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE BIOLOGICAL RECORDS CENTRE AT MONKS WOOD, TO ENCOURAGE THE RECORDING OF EPHEMEROPTERA SPECIES THROUGHOUT THE BRITISH ISLES. THE PRINCIPAL AIM OF THE SCHEME IS TO COLLECT RECORDS OF EPHEMEROPTERA. THIS WILL ALLOW DISTRIBUTION PLANS TO BE COMPILED AND CHANGES IN THE DISTRIBUTION OF EPHEMEROPTERA POPULATIONS TO BE MONITORED. THE EPHEMEROPTERA, OR MAYFLIES AS THEY ARE MORE COMMONLY KNOWN, ARE A SMALL ORDER OF INSECTS WITH ONLY 8 FAMILIES AND 48 SPECIES RECORDED FROM THE BRITISH ISLES. THEY ARE AQUATIC IN THEIR LARVAL STAGES AND ARE FOUND IN ALMOST ALL FRESHWATER HABITATS. AS A RESULT THEY RELY UPON CLEAN AQUATIC ENVIRONMENTS FOR THEIR DEVELOPMENT. THE LARVAE OF SOME SPECIES CAN TAKE UP TO TWO YEARS TO MATURE BUT MOST SPECIES COMPLETE THEIR LIFE CYCLES IN ONE YEAR AND SOME HAVE TWO GENERATIONS A YEAR. ALL BRITISH EPHEMEROPTERA ARE HERBIVORES AND FEED BY A VARIETY OF METHODS ON DETRITUS AND ALGAE ON STONES. THEIR GROWTH IS BY A SERIES OF MOULTS WHERE THE OUTER SKIN IS SHED. SOME SPECIES CAN PERFORM THIS MOULT UP TO 27 TIMES BEFORE EMERGING AS THE WINGED ADULT. THE ADULTS ARE SOFT-BODIED INSECTS WITH VERY SHORT ANTENNAE AND TWO OR THREE LONG TAILS. MOST ADULT MAYFLIES HAVE TWO PAIRS OF WINGS, HOWEVER THE HIND PAIR ARE CONSIDERABLY SMALLER THAN THE FORE AND IN SOME SPECIES ARE ABSENT ALTOGETHER. MAYFLIES ARE UNIQUE AMONGST INSECTS BECAUSE THE ADULT, WITHIN MINUTES OR, AT MOST, HOURS OF EMERGING UNDERGOES A FURTHER MOULT TO A SECOND WINGED STAGE, THE SEXUALLY MATURE IMAGO. THE IMAGO IS USUALLY BRIGHTER IN COLOUR THAN ITS SUB-IMAGO, WITH TRANSLUCENT WINGS AND LONGER TAILS. THE WINGED STAGES DO NOT FEED, AND LIVE FOR ONLY A FEW DAYS AT MOST. THE EPHEMEROPTERA RECORDING SCHEME IS LOOKING FOR ANY RECORDS OF EPHEMEROPTERA SPECIES FROM ALL OVER THE BRITISH ISLES. ADULT EPHEMEROPTERA CAN BE COLLECTED THROUGHOUT MOST OF THE SUMMER, WHILE THE AQUATIC LARVAE OF MANY SPECIES CAN BE FOUND DURING THE WINTER, SO THAT RECORDING CAN BE CARRIED OUT ALL YEAR ROUND. IF YOU HAVE RECORDS OF EPHEMEROPTERA SPECIES OR YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE EPHEMEROPTERA RECORDING SCHEME THEN CONTACT: |
C/O CRAIG MACADAM
EAST OF SCOTLAND WATER
PENTLAND GAIT
597 CALDER ROAD
EDINBURGH EH11 4HJ
web site:
http://www.ephemeroptera.britannica.freeservers.com
Dernière mise à jour 20/08/2000