Abstract. In this article, the quality of running and standing water in Jordan is evaluated using mayflies (order Ephemeroptera) as biological indicators species. From March 2011 to April 2013, mayfly larvae were collected, from the study area that covers streams pouring into the Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea. Six species were determined and distinguished from each other including Baetis monnerati, Baetis Sp, Nigrobaetis vuatazi, Cloeon gr simile, Caenis antoninae, Caenis sp. The results of this study showed that the Bestisdes group is commonly associated with Caenidae larvae in running freshwater bodies. Regarding their indicator values, Baetis monnerati as an indicator of clean to moderately polluted water and tolerance to saline water. Baetis Sp occur in clean freshwater but it is so rare that their values indicator in Jordan is low. Caenidae sp can tolerate some household pollutants while Caenis antoninae is a good indicator for standing to slow flowing clean to weakly polluted water. Cloeon gr simile could tolerate salty water and can be considered as a good indicator of unpolluted saline water. Only one species Nigrobaetis vuatazi was found to tolerate mineral water, with high Sr 2+ and Br -concentrations. In Jordan, species of Baetidae family show more tolerance to pollution than Caenidae family. Aquatic mayfly fauna are absent in eutrophic and thermal water bodies. The study concluded that mayfly fauna are qualified bio-indicators for water quality monitoring.

Groundwater vulnerability is an overlay method that is used to determine the ability of pollutants to penetrate to the target aquifer and to harm it. This method helps decision makers by shedding light on pollution areas expected to pollute groundwater aquifers as caused by human activities on the ground surface. In Jordan, groundwater is the main water resource the country uses to match its demand. The groundwater basins in Jordan are divided into 12 major basins. Some basins are rechargeable and other basins are fossil. Many basins are over exploited. Amman Zarqa basin is a clear example for this case. Others are saline just like Azraq basin and the rest is expected to be affected by the growing demand for agricultural, municipal and industrial activities. In this study, a groundwater vulnerability map was produced for Jordan using DRASTIC index to study the vulnerability of the shallow aquifers throughout the country. The map shows different vulnerability classes ranging from low to very high reflecting the environmental, hydrological and hydrogeological settings of the groundwater and its recharge ability. The resulted map shows wide variation in groundwater vulnerability in different sites in Jordan. Areas with higher vulnerability are those with friable aquifer materials and shallow groundwater depths. Medium and low vulnerability classes are exist too because of the variations of the environmental settings within the targeted areas.

We here treat four unreported or poorly known mayfly species from Jordan: Cheleocloeon soldani Gattolliat & Sartori, 2008, Cloeon vanharteni Gattolliat & Sartori, 2008, Baetis pacis Yanai & Gattolliat, 2018, and Caenis macrura Stephens, 1835. They are reported and morphologically distinguished from other local relatives. Caenis macrura is widely distributed in the Palaearctic, Ch. soldani and C. vanharteni originated from the Arabian Peninsula, and B. pacis is restricted to a small area in southern Levant. We provide a complete checklist of the Jordanian mayfly fauna and deliver an identification key to the nymphal stages.

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