The Distribution Of' Two Species Of' Cenocor/Xa in I~Land Saline Lakes of Bhitisi-I Columbia
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:I. F>'T" .llfll.. Su ... Rill '!'. C ,,, . I I ~ lllIi\ , fif) (I%~), Auo. 1, 1969 THE DISTRIBUTION OF' TWO SPECIES OF' CENOCOR/XA IN I~LAND SALINE LAKES OF BHITISI-I COLUMBIA By G . G. E. SCUDDER I ABSTRACT The distribution of Cenocorixa bifida (Hung. ) and C. expleta (U hler) in British Columbia is summarized. The distribution pattern in a series of inland saline lakes in the central interior of the Province is described. All water bodies are in the fli ght range of the two species, and seem to be colonized by them at random. However, C. expleta occ urs and breeds only in saline waters, whereas C. bifida lives and breeds in fresh and moderatelY' saline environments. C. expleta has be en found only in waters with a co nductivity between 3,900 and 29,000 mi~romho s / cm. (at 25°C) : C. bifida occurs only in waters with a conductivity between 20 and 20 ,000 micromhos. cm. The distribution appears to be correlated with sa linity and not with other features of the environment such as area of wa ter body, mean depth, maximum depth, etc. Seven species of Cenocorixa are ity as possible, after the initial survey recorded fro m British Columbia indicated that this was desirable. (Lansbury, 1960), but little is known Those selected were chosen so that about their dis tribution, abundance many other parameters of the en and biology. A comparative study has vironment were alike. Thus all water been started on two of the species C. bodies were situated in the same gen bi/ida (Hung.) and C. expleta (Uhler) . eral geographic area, on approxi This paper describes the distribution mately the same latitude and longi of the two forms in the province of tude, were around 1000 m elevation, British Columbia, and further con were situated in open grassland, were s iders their occurrence in a .5eries of without fish as predators, but had saline water bodies in the Southern cattle access and so were subject to Interior Plateau region. disturbance and pollution. Materials and Methods The water bodies selected for spe The general distribution of the cial study are located in the Chilcotin and Cariboo Parklands biotic areas, species in the Province was determin but one lies within the Dry Forest ed from published records, from spe cimens in the Spencer Entomological area of Munro and Cowan (1947). Museum at the University of British Those n a med as lakes, e.g. White Lake, Columbia a nd from personal collect are to be found on m a ps. The others h a ve local names or names used only ing. Climatic data were taken from in this project. Most are on Beecher's the B .C. R esources Atlas (Chapman et al., 1956). Pra irie, just north of Riske Creek (Fig. 1) . Others are distributed as In the study of the lakes in the follows: Westwick La ke, Boitano Lake Southern Interior Plateau, a general and Rush are between Williams Lake survey was carried out in the period and Springhouse, with the locality 1958-1960, and in 1961 a series of water bodies was selected for inten Sp. 6 a little way beyond Springhouse sive study. The lakes were chosen so on the Alkali La ke roa d . White Lake as to obtain as wide a range of sal1n- and Long Lake are on the road be tween Clinton a nd Gang Ranch, the , Department of Zoology, UnIversity of Brltl.h Columbia, Vancouver. locality GR2 being about 10 miles west J, E."I ' ''~fOI " Sit". BlOT. COI.l' \ fBIA . 66 (1969). Auo. 1, 1969 33 Lake , I , I I I I , 6 SPR INGHOUSE I , - --" I , RISKE I ( CREEK , I P-'ALKALI " LAKE RANCH Kamloops Fig. 1. Map of the Southern Interior Plateau region of British Columbia, showing localities mentioned in text. 11-: ,,,",,' SI>, . 1\1;11 . (',", ""11.101; 11~llj!ll. An;. 1. 18U~ of the Highway. Finally, the water non. 6 mi. S. Clinton, 149 mile L., body called LB2 is adjacent to Lac Soda Cr., Milner, Westwick L., d 1I BOis, near Kamloops, (Fig. 1) . Riske Cr .. Boitano L., Peachland, In all 20 lakes were included in the NlIlki L., Westbank, Summerland, detailed s tudy, th e physical a nd Oliver, Hope Mts., J esmond, Minnie chemical limnology of which will be L., Nicola (Lansbmy, 1960). Mc described elsewhere (Topping and Intyre L. (Scudder, 1961). Horse Scudder, in prep.) . Faunal samples shoe L. (Sparrow, 1966). Lyons were obtained from each habitat at L. (G. Halsey); White L. (G. G. E. approximately monthly intervals dur Scudder); Long L. (G. G. E. Scud ing the ice-free period from April to del'); Doctor's L. (G. G . E. Scud November, in the years 1958-1968 in der); Pavilion L. (G. G. E. Scud clusive. At the same time, water tem der); Beaverdam L. (G. G. E. Scud perature and surface conductivity der) ; Bower's L. (G. G . E. Scudder). wer e measured using a Yellowsprings Cenocorixa expleta (Uhler): Kam Portable Solubridge : pH and conduc loops , 6 mile S. Clinton, RIske Cr. tivity were also measured in the lab (Lansbury, 1960). White L. (G. G. E. ora tory using Radiometer apparatus. Scudder); Long L. (G. G. E. Scud Information on dispersal was ob der) ; Bower's L. (G. G. E. Scudder); tainecl by the use of light traps and Lyons L. (G . Halsey). horizon tal reflection traps of the type Superimposed on this map Is the described by Fernando (1958). These area of the province that has a mean were set up adjacent to Westwick annual precipitation of around 43 .5 Lake and the Corixidae captured were cm, (15 in.) , and in which the known noted. saline lakes in the province are situ ated. It is seen that in general the The behaviour of insects in waters records of both species lie within this of varying salinity and temperature climatological boundary. was observed in the laboratory. In- • sects were placed in 250 ml beakers ii) Detailed distribution containing 150 ml of water of known Table 1 lists the water bodies se salinity. Experiments were carried out lected lor special study and summar In cons tant temperature cabinets at izes the most important environmen 5 C, 15 C and 25 C. Each beaker was tal data required for the present dis contained in a covered plas tic box. cussion. It also shows in a general The number of insects leaving the manner, the occurrence of the two beaker and found in the box was re ,~pecies of Cenocorixa. C. bijida is corded. Iound in waters with a mean surface Resu lts conductivity between 38.6 and 14,848 micromhos cm (at 25 C), while C. 1) General distribution expleta has a narrower range. I n Bri Fig. 2 s ummarizes in a general tish Columbia the two species have manner, the known distribution of been fOllnd sympatric in ten water the two species in British Columbia. bodies, six of which are listed in Table Records available a re as follows: new 1. Allopatric populations of C. bijida locali ty records are in italics. occur in the fresh waters, while to Cenocorixa vifida (Hung.): P each- da te no allopatric population of C. land, Vernon, Oliver, Nulki L., expleta has been discovered. The data K a m I 0 0 P s, (Hungerford, 1948). show no obvious correlation of distri Chilcotin, Nicola, Malahat, Ver- bution of the species with water body Mean Mean Distribution Mean Max. surface surface Main Maln Cenocorixa Cenocorixa water body Area depth depth conductivity pH cation anlon bifida eA~leta (ha) (m) (m) (micro hmos/ cm at 250 C) "! GR2 15.35 0.8 1.5 42,590 10.1,5 Na C03 x LB2 3 .08 1.1 2.5 14,848 9.63 Na C03-504 o * t;:: Long L . 33 .50 2.2 4.5 12,388 9.41 Na 5°4 o * Box 4 17.20 2 . 0 4 . 5 10,473 9.50 Na HCOrC03 * * phalerope 30. 84 2 . 6 6 . 2 6,883 9.31 Na HCOrC03 * * ::: Box 20-21 46 . 50 2 . 8 5 . 4 6 , 074 9.30 Na HC03-C03 * * ;.- 5,540 9 . 50 white L . 127 . 68 5.0 15.5 Na HC03-C03 * * c. Boitano L . 80 . 70 2 . 7 4.5 4,728 9 . 00 Na HC0 3-S04 * e". Rush 19 . 59 1.1 2.5 3 , 994 8.74 Na HCOrS04 <:: * 0". Nr . Op . Box 4 5 . 83 1.4 2 . 3 3,231 8.81 Na- Mg 504 * <C Box 89 15.18 1.0 2 . 3 1,80:; 9 . 08 Na HC03 ;..- * .., Rock 34.60 1.1 2 . 5 1 . 698 9.21 Na HC03 * =- westwick L . 58.32 1.3 4.5 1 , 515 8.72 Mg HC03-C03 I< !"""' Nr . phalerope 5.06 1.3 3.0 1 , 457 8.64 Na HC03 c.<J: * <J: Nr . Op . cr . 6 . 88 1.4 3 . 3 827 8 . 98 Mg HCOrC03 * Box 17 2.67 1.1 3.3 782 9.00 Mg HC03-C03 * Op . Box 4 4 . 53 0 . 7 2 . 2 720 9 . 27 Mg HCOrC03 * Racetrack 27 . 03 1.9 6.5 541 8 . 52 Na HC03 * 5p . 6 0.85 0 . 6 1.5 254 8 . 80 Mg HC03-C03 * Box 27 4 . 30 0 . 5 1.5 38 . 6 6 . 86 Mg HCOrC03 * Table 1. List of water bodies studied with certain environmental data plus the distribution of £. bifida and £. expleta: * = one or two generations produced each year; 0 = first generation produced, but second unsuccessful ; 0 = first generation produced, second generation successful only some years; x = overwintered adults recorded, but no breeding detected in these waters; - = species never taken in these water bodies .