Guide to Aquatic Invertebrate Families of Mongolia | 2009

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION
FOREWORD TO MONGOLIAN GUIDE................................................................... iv
INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................1
AQUATIC INVERTEBRATES..................................................................................... 10
Key to Aquatic Invertebrates ................................................................................... 12
Non-Insect Invertebrate Descriptions ................................................................... 23
Other Commonly Encountered Invertebrates Not Included in the Key ............... 32
INSECTA ....................................................................................................................... 34
Key to Insecta Orders ............................................................................................. 38
EPHEMEROPTERA ....................................................................................................45
Key to Ephemeroptera Families (Larvae) .............................................................. 47
Ephemeroptera Family Descriptions ..................................................................... 54
ODONATA ....................................................................................................................63
Key to Odonata Families (Larvae) ......................................................................... 66
Odonata Family Descriptions ................................................................................ 70
PLECOPTERA ..............................................................................................................75
Key to Plecoptera Families (Larvae) ...................................................................... 78
Plecoptera Family Descriptions ............................................................................. 82
HEMIPTERA ................................................................................................................87
Key to Hemiptera Families (Adults) ...................................................................... 90
Hemiptera Family Descriptions ............................................................................. 96
MEGALOPTERA......................................................................................................... 104
Key to Megaloptera Families (Larvae)* ................................................................ 106
Megaloptera Family Descriptions ......................................................................... 107
NEUROPTERA ........................................................................................................... 108
Neuroptera Family Descriptions ........................................................................... 110
TRICHOPTERA ...........................................................................................................111
Key to Trichoptera Families (Larvae) ................................................................... 114
Trichoptera Family Descriptions .......................................................................... 124
LEPIDOPTERA .......................................................................................................... 135
Lepidoptera Family Descriptions .......................................................................... 137
COLEOPTERA ............................................................................................................ 138
Key to Coleoptera Families (Larvae) ..................................................................... 141
Key to Coleoptera Families (Adults) ..................................................................... 146
Coleoptera Family Descriptions ............................................................................ 151
DIPTERA ..................................................................................................................... 164
Key to Diptera Families (Larvae) .......................................................................... 166
Diptera Family Descriptions (Larvae)................................................................... 180
APPENDICES ............................................................................................................. 194
Summary of Aquatic Invertebrates ........................................................................ 195
Orientations ........................................................................................................... 201
Feeding Groups and Habitats ............................................................................... 202
Glossary .................................................................................................................. 204
Illustration Acknowledgements ............................................................................. 210

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 Guide to Aquatic Invertebrate Families of Mongolia | 2009

FOREWORD TO MONGOLIAN GUIDE

INTRODUCTION

This new taxonomic key will permit identification of macroinvertebrates to the family level and is
intended for use by students, teachers, other volunteers, or anyone who requires that level of
identification. Illustrations have been developed to highlight distinguishing characteristics that will
increase accuracy and consistency. It is designed to help volunteers strengthen their identification
skills and, in conjunction with a well-designed monitoring program and proper field protocols, will
improve the quality of biological data that can be used for decision-making.

Biological communities serve as good indicators of overall stream health. Macroinvertebrates may
spend years maturing in the stream. Thus, the size and diversity of their population reflect an
integration of all the stream conditions that occur during their life cycles, such as water chemistry,
habitat characteristics, pollutant loading, and changes in water flow, temperature, or velocity.
Certain species are intolerant of pollution and will be absent from streams with degraded water
quality or habitat. Biological monitoring adds a significant component to the overall assessment of
stream health, but it requires training in proper sampling and identification, specialized equipment,
access to a microscope, and appropriate interpretation of biological indices.

Many volunteers and local organizers prefer to monitor biological communities because volunteers
may find it more engaging than other types of monitoring. Volunteers can augment limited agency
resources and expand ambient water quality records, adding to the length or completeness of the
data record by supplementing agency monitoring, or by sampling additional sites. By monitoring
macroinvertebrates at a site where professionals sample water chemistry, volunteers add significantly
to the knowledge base about that site. They often broaden the scope and context of agency
monitoring because they know a great deal about the land use in the watershed and the history of
their stream. Volunteers can help identify areas of concern and changes or trends that should be
investigated. Volunteers also increase public awareness of water resources; they can motivate action
and bring attention to under-appreciated natural resources.

The information volunteers collect is helping state and local governments, natural resource
professionals, and local decision makers gain a better understanding of the health of our water
resources. At the same time, volunteers learn for themselves how human uses affect the rivers and
streams in their communities. Students learn scientific methods and gain life skills, as well as
understanding more about natural systems. Organizations can follow up on problems and use the
data they collect to undertake stewardship actions to improve the health or habitat of their streams.

Whatever your reasons for getting involved, there are monitoring options that will match your goals,
skill level, and available resources. This guide will help get you started assessing the biological
characteristics of streams, lakes, and other water resources.

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Guide to Aquatic Invertebrate Families of Mongolia | 2009

INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Draft
June 17, 2009

Chapter 1 | INTRODUCTION 1
 Guide to Aquatic Invertebrate Families of Mongolia | 2009

1 INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION

This guide has been developed for the identification of common aquatic invertebrates found in
Mongolia. Most aquatic and semiaquatic organisms collected from a variety of water body types
(e.g., streams, rivers, lakes, wetlands, seeps, etc.) will key out in this guide. However, invertebrate
samples often include semiaquatic and terrestrial invertebrates that are not dealt with in this guide.
Additionally, the characters in this guide are based on mature larvae or adults, so some immature
larvae may not key out properly because of their small size and lack of well-developed
characteristics. Finally, not all aquatic taxa occurring in Mongolia will key out in this guide is
probably incomplete because more families likely remain to be discovered in this country. In
addition, this guide is largely based on North American and to a lesser extent, European taxa. As a
result additional modifications and refinement may be necessary to make this guide fully accurate to
the Mongolia fauna.

In this guide, dichotomous keys are provided to identify most insects to the family level and non-
insects to the family or higher level (e.g., order, class, etc.). The keys are divided into several chapters
and placed into hierarchical order. The first key (Chapter 2: Aquatic Invertebrates) deals with all
aquatic invertebrates and is designed to separate insects from other invertebrates and to identify
non-insect invertebrates to the family or higher level. If your organism is identified as an insect, the
second key (Chapter 3: Class Insecta) can be used to identify insects to the order level. Finally, each
insect order has its own key (Chapters 4 through 13) for family-level identifications.

The keys in this guide are modified from a number of sources including Merritt and Cummins
(1996), Hilsenhoff (1995), McCafferty (1981), Brigham et al. (1982), Pescador and Harris (1995),
Pennak (1989), Nilsson (1997), Nilsson (1996), Stehr (1987), Stehr (1991), and Thorp and Covich
(2001) (see Appendix E for a full list of references). Illustrations in this guide are modified and
redrawn from a variety of sources. A complete list of illustration acknowledgements is included in
Appendix F at the end of the guide.

How to use this key

Before you begin to key out specimens, take time to page through this guide to familiarize yourself
with the diversity of form and structure of aquatic invertebrates. You should also spend some time
learning the terms for structures and orientations. You can do this by examining the labeled figures
at the beginning of many of the chapters. In addition, you should read through the orientation
descriptions in Appendix B. If you have problems with terms, you can reference the glossary
provided at the end of the guide in Appendix D. These exercises will improve your ability to use the
keys provided in this guide.

Using dichotomous couplets

This guide uses dichotomous keys to identify aquatic invertebrates. A dichotomous key consists of a
series of couplets or pairs of characters that are used to narrow down and eventually to determine an
organism’s identity (Figure 1). To help visualize the structure of a dichotomous key you can

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 Guide to Aquatic Invertebrate Families of Mongolia | 2009

compare it to that of a tree. You start at the bottom of the tree trunk and each time the tree
branches you must decide which character or characters match your specimen to determine which

INTRODUCTION
branch to follow. As you move up the tree you will continue to narrow down the identity of your
specimen until you reach the end of a branch and the name of your organism.

To begin, start with the first couplet in the key and read both options. The first half of a couplet is
designated by the couplet number (e.g., 1.) whereas the second half is designated by the couplet
number followed by an apostrophe (e.g., 1′.) (see Figure 1.1). In addition, in all couplets except the
first, the couplet number for the first half of a couplet is followed by a number in parentheses (e.g.,
2(1).). This is the number of the previous couplet and allows you trace your steps back if you make
a mistake. The apostrophe included with the second half of a couplet helps you determine which
characters you selected when backtracking trough the key. It is important to read both options
completely in order to insure correct identification. Choose the character or characters that match
the specimen you are keying out. Illustrations are provided with most character descriptions to help
with identification.

Once you have decided what character or characters match your specimen, the number following
the character description will direct you to the next couplet. Go to the couplet that is given and
again find the character or characters that match your specimen and proceed to the next couplet.
Eventually you will reach the name of an organism, which means you have identified the specimen.

If you can identify the specimen further, a chapter number will follow the name. If a chapter
number is given, go to this chapter and begin the new key following the same steps described above.
If you reach a couplet and neither character or set of characters matches your specimen, you may
have made an error. If this occurs, you may need to backtrack and determine where the mistake was
made.

Once you have arrived at a determination, follow the page number given after the organism’s name.
This will take you to a more detailed description of the organism as well as an illustration of a
characteristic member from that group. Use the description to double check your identification. If
you are unsure of your identification, reference other entomological texts (see Appendix E) or
consult with someone experienced with identifying aquatic invertebrates. Keep in mind, the more
practice you have, the easier it becomes to identify aquatic invertebrates. The illustration included
with the organism description and in the keys are examples of a species form the group. As a result
the species or genus of the illustrated taxon does not necessarily correspond to your organism. This
guide does not go beyond the genus or species level and other resources would need to be consulted
for this level of identification. One final note: it is possible that some families that occur in
Mongolia are not in this guide. It is also possible that the organism you are trying to identify is not
aquatic and is not included in this guide. Therefore it is possible that specimens that are collected in
Mongolia will not key out using this guide.

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 Guide to Aquatic Invertebrate Families of Mongolia | 2009

Description of
INTRODUCTION

character(s) Figure number for

for the first part the illustration of the
of couplet #2 Next couplet (if your organism
character in this
matches the description, go to
couplet
Couplet #2 – part 1 couplet 3)

Illustration of
character(s)
for the first part
of couplet #2

Couplet #2 – part 2
(the apostrophe
indicates this is the
second part of the
couplet)

Figure number
and description
of illustration

This is couplet #3; the

number in parentheses
tells you the previous
couplet and helps you
trace you steps if you
need to backtrack.

Name of organism
keyed out

Arrow pointing to
character described
in couplet

Labeled character

Figure 1.1: Dichotomous key layout example.

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 Guide to Aquatic Invertebrate Families of Mongolia | 2009

Layout of Descriptions for Families and Groups

INTRODUCTION
A description of each insect order is provided before each order key. This information includes a
description of the biology of the group and a description of the major characters used to identify the
group and families within that group. An illustration of a generalized specimen for each order with
labeled structures is also provided to aid with orientation and identification of structures used in the
key. In addition, a description of each taxon is provided at the end of each key. Each scientific
name at the top of the taxon description is a family name (these names end in “idae”). For taxa that
are not families, the classification level (e.g., class, order) follows the taxonomic name in parentheses.
The information for each taxon is organized into the following categories:

English Common Name: Organisms are designated a single scientific name following rules of the
International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, but many organisms also have one or many
common names. In this guide, common names for the groups are provided. Due to the variability
of common names, some invertebrates may have additional common names or a common name
may be applied to multiple groups. If you want to be sure you are applying the correct name to an
organism it is best to use the scientific name.

Feeding Group: Another way to classify organisms is to place them in categories according to their
feeding behavior or habit. The most common feeding habit is given for each taxon. In some cases
several feeding habits are listed for a single taxon because many families contain numerous species
using variety of feeding strategies. In addition, a single organism may change its feeding habits as it
matures, as it passes through different life stages, or as food availabilities change. Be aware that your
organism may not match the feeding habit given for the group because there are often unusual
species or exceptions in a family. A complete description of feeding habits provided in Appendix C.

Tolerance Value: Invertebrates used to evaluate water quality are often given a number to
represent their tolerance or intolerance to pollution. Higher numbers represent increased tolerance
while lower numbers represent intolerance. In this guide, values of 0 through 3 are considered
indicative of a low tolerance to stress, values of 4 through 6 a moderate tolerance, and values of 7
through 10 a high tolerance. Similar to feeding habits, the pollution tolerance can vary among
species within a family or group. Additionally, many pollution tolerance values are based on only
one or a few types of stressors. For example, the pollution tolerance values given in this key are
mainly for organic pollution and may not accurately reflect an organism’s tolerance to heavy metals
or toxic chemicals. Most of the tolerance values giving in this key are from Hilsenhoff (1988).
Tolerance values for taxa not included in Hilsenhoff (1988) are taken from Barbour et al. (1999).
For example, tolerance values for many Hemiptera and Coleoptera are not included in Hilsenhoff
(1988). In addition, tolerance values have not been determined for many taxa and are listed as
undetermined or unknown in this guide. These tolerance values are based on North American taxa
and although many should be similar for Mongolian taxa, there may be differences. Future work in
Mongolia should be able to refine the tolerance values to make them more applicable in Mongolia.

Habitat: The habitat section provides information on the type of water body and habitat in which
an invertebrate can be found. Again, this information is based on the habitats of the majority of the
species or the most common species within the family or group, but there are almost always
exceptions. A complete description is provided in Appendix C.

Length: The range of lengths provided are for mature larvae and adults. Lengths do not include
antennae and cerci when they are present.

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 Guide to Aquatic Invertebrate Families of Mongolia | 2009

Characteristics: This section lists a number of the more important diagnostic characters for the
group. Unique characters used in the key are listed here along with additional characters not unique
INTRODUCTION

to the group. These additional non-unique characters can sometimes be helpful when you have a
difficult specimen. After you key out an organism, check the characteristics listed under the group
description in order to double check your identification.

Notes: Some additional information about the biology of the group is included. This can include
information on feeding, economic importance, or any interesting facts about these organisms.

Nomenclature: Common and Scientific Names

In this key organisms are often referred to by both their common and scientific names. A single
organism can have several common names depending on who is referring to the organism and in
what region it is found. Scientific names are more specific because international rules dictate that an
organism can have only one scientific name.

The use of scientific names permits the classification of organisms into nested categories based on
the evolutionary history of the organisms. For example, the species Chironomus riparius belongs to
the family Chironomidae which in turn belongs to the order Diptera within the class Insecta (Figure
1.2). This tells you that all of the species within the family Chironomidae are more closely related to
each other than they are to any other species outside of the family.

As you move up the classification, all of the families in the order Diptera are more closely related to
each other than they are to other families. As you move through the keys you will be working your
way down this classification. For example, the first key deals with organisms belonging to the
kingdom Animalia. The next key is for Insecta, a class nested within Animalia, followed by keys for
several orders within Insecta. However, the individual keys are not necessarily based on the
evolutionary relationships of these organisms. The characters used to identify organisms are not
always the same characters used to determine how closely they are related. This is because many of
the characters used to determine evolutionary relationships are very difficult to see (e.g., internal
morphology, genetics) or require live specimens (e.g., behavior). Therefore, you must be careful
about the evolutionary conclusions you make using this guide. The only way to be sure if organisms
are closely related is if they belong to the same group (e.g., family, order, class) and not how closely
they key out in this guide.

Kingdom – Animalia
Phylum – Arthropoda
Class – Insecta
Order – Diptera
Family – Chironomidae
Genus – Chironomus
Species - riparius

Figure 1.2: Taxonomic hierarchy using the midge Chironomus riparius as an example.

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Groups of Aquatic Invertebrates Covered in this Guide

* Not known from Mongolia

INTRODUCTION
Phylum Platyhelminthes
Class Turbellaria

Phylum Nematoda (Nemata)

Phylum Nematomorpha

Phylum Annelida
Class Oligochaeta
Class Hirudinea

Phylum Mollusca
Class Gastropoda
Class Bivalvia

Phylum Arthropoda
Class Arachnida
Order Araneae
Subclass Acari
Subphylum Crustacea
Subclass Branchiopoda
Order Cladocera
Subclass Copepoda
Subclass Ostracoda
Subclass Malacostraca
Order Isopoda
Order Amphipoda
Class Insecta
Subclass Apterygota
Order Collembola
Subclass Pterygota
Order Ephemeroptera
Family Acanthametropodidae*
Family Ameletidae
Family Ametropodidae
Family Baetidae
Family Caenidae
Family Ephemerellidae
Family Ephemeridae
Family Heptageniidae
Family Isonychiidae
Family Leptophlebiidae
Family Metretopodidae
Family Oligoneuriidae
Family Polymitarcyidae
Family Potamanthidae
Family Siphlonuridae

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 Guide to Aquatic Invertebrate Families of Mongolia | 2009

Order Odonata
Suborder Zygoptera
INTRODUCTION

Family Calopterygidae
Family Lestidae
Family Coenagrionidae
Suborder Anisoptera
Family Aeshnidae
Family Cordulegaster*
Family Corduliidae
Family Gomphidae
Family Libellulidae
Order Plecoptera
Family Pteronarcyidae
Family Taeniopterygidae
Family Nemouridae
Family Leuctridae
Family Capniidae
Family Chloroperlidae
Family Perlidae
Family Perlodidae
Order Hemiptera
Family Belostomatidae
Family Corixidae
Family Gelastocoridae*
Family Gerridae
Family Hebridae*
Family Hydrometridae*
Family Mesoveliidae*
Family Naucoridae*
Family Nepidae*
Family Notonectidae*
Family Pleidae
Family Saldidae
Family Veliidae*
Order Megaloptera
Family Corydalidae
Family Saldidae
Order Neuroptera
Family Sisyridae
Order Trichoptera
Family Apataniidae
Family Brachycentridae
Family Glossosomatidae
Family Goeridae
Family Helicopsychidae *
Family Hydroptilidae
Family Hydropsychidae
Family Leptoceridae
Family Lepidostomatidae
Family Limnephilidae

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Guide to Aquatic Invertebrate Families of Mongolia | 2009

Family Molannidae
Family Phryganeidae

INTRODUCTION
Family Polycentropodidae
Family Psychomyiidae
Family Rhyacophilidae
Family Stenopsychidae
Order Lepidoptera
Family Pyralidae or Crambidae
Order Coleoptera
Family Chrysomelidae
Family Curculionidae
Family Dryopidae*
Family Dytiscidae
Family Elmidae
Family Gyrinidae
Family Haliplidae
Family Heteroceridae*
Family Hydraenidae*
Family Hydrophilidae
Family Psephenidae*
Family Scirtidae*
Family Staphylinidae
Order Diptera
Family Blephariceridae
Family Ceratopogonidae
Family Chaoboridae
Family Chironomidae
Family Cylindrotomidae
Family Culicidae
Family Deuterophlebiidae
Family Dolichopodidae
Family Empididae
Family Ephydridae
Family Hybotidae
Family Limoniidae
Family Muscidae
Family Pediciidae
Family Sciomyzidae
Family Simuliidae
Family Stratiomyidae
Family Syrphidae
Family Tabanidae
Family Tipulidae

Chapter 1 | INTRODUCTION 9