Atopophlebia Fortunensis Flowers (Ephemeroptera: Leptophlebiidae) and Caenis Chamie, Alba-Tercedor and Mosquera (Ephemeroptera: Caenidae). Notes on Their Biology and Ecology

Abstract

Caenis chamie and Atopophlebia fortunensis were collected in a water supply channel of the Pavas aqueduct (Departamento del Valle del Cauca-Cordillera Occidental, Colombia), that comes from natural sources with a run along a stretch with abundant riparian vegetation. A. fortunensis is the first record of a species co-ocurring in Central and South America.

The activity of each species was clearly related with timing and intensity of rain periods. Emergence and molting occurs during the day at different hours. Most winged individuals of A. fortunensis were observed at the end of rain periods. Observations in the laboratory have shown that subimagos molted to imagos within 24 hours after they had emerged. Time elapsed between emergence and ovoposition of C. chamie was very short (5–6 minutes), and the highest emergence peaks took place during cloudy and rainy days. Observations in the laboratory have shown that males emerged first. Females did not undergo an imaginal molt and remained with the submaginal skin.