First observations of the aquatic invertebrate fauna in ephemeral Atacama River (22° S, Antofagasta Region, Chile)

Abstract

The invertebrate communities of the northern Chilean rivers are characterised by their marked endemism and specificity of their community structure in different basins. The river systems located in the Atacama Desert are endorheic and are affected by the rainy period of January-February commonly known as the “Bolivian winter“. The present study is the first report on the observations of arthropods in the ephemeral Atacama River during a period of the “Bolivian winter“.The Atacama River is characterised by species with poor invertebrate assemblage dominated by diapausing crustaceans (cladocera, copepod, ostracoda) and dispersing aquatic insects (ephemeroptera and diptera larvae).