Stonefly Assemblages as Indicators of Relict North African Mountain Streams (Plecoptera)

Two new species of Centroptilum Eaton, 1869 from North Africa (Ephemeroptera, Baetidae)

“…nov. occupies the headwaters of steep, narrow and intermittent streams (Fig. 6c, d ; Samraoui et al 2021b , c ).…”

Diversity, distribution, and conservation of the Trichoptera and their habitats in north‐eastern Algeria

“…include wetlands, rivers, or streams. For instance, the El Kala National Park incorporates mountain streams that contain micro‐endemic mayflies and stoneflies (Samraoui et al, 2021; Samraoui et al, 2021). Similarly, the Belezma National Park contains endemic mayflies and caddisflies (Dambri et al, 2020; Dambri et al, 2022).…”

“…In particular, the lack of knowledge remains a steep obstacle to conservation goals. Compared with other northern Mediterranean countries and with consideration to the size and biogeographical importance of the Maghreb, the freshwater macroinvertebrates of the region remain largely understudied (Dambri et al, 2021; Samraoui et al, 2021; Samraoui et al, 2021). Despite the lack of information on most freshwater macroinvertebrates, there is ample reason for concern.…”

“…The Mediterranean region is one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots and it hosts a considerable number of endemic species (Mittermeier et al, 2004). As a Mediterranean country, Algeria harbours a rich freshwater fauna with many micro‐endemics (Samraoui et al, 2021; Samraoui et al, 2021), but the knowledge of the taxonomy of many taxa, including caddisflies, has lagged far behind that of other Mediterranean or even Maghrebian countries, such as Tunisia (Malicky & Lounaci, 1987; Allaya, 2003; Allaya, Malicky & Boumaïza, 2003) or Morocco (Dakki, 1978; Dakki, 1982; El Alami & Dakki, 1998; Hajji et al, 2013; Mabrouki et al, 2020), where numerous studies have been conducted, beginning in the late 20th century. By contrast, during the 20th century there have been few and isolated contributions (Vaillant, 1953a; Vaillant, 1953b; Vaillant, 1954a; Vaillant, 1954b; Schmid, 1957; Malicky & Lounaci, 1987) on the fauna of Algerian caddisflies, following several pioneering studies (McLachlan, 1880; Morton, 1896; Morton, 1898; Ulmer, 1905; Navás, 1917; Lestage, 1925; Navás, 1928; Navás, 1932; Navás, 1936).…”