The chironomids (Diptera: Chironomidae) from 108 Italian Alpine springs

Chironomids are one of the most abundant and species-rich groups in crenal habitats. Up to 200 species are reported from cold European springs and 73 from Italian Alpine springs, representing about 20 % of the species recorded in Europe and in Italy, respectively (Lindegaard 1995, Crema et al. 1996, Ferrarese 2006, Lencioni 2007). Nevertheless, most crenal systems remain unexplored, and no biotic indexes have been developed to determine their ecological status (Cantonati et al. 2006). We aimed to analyze chironomid taxa distribution in natural or slightly impacted cold springs from an ecological and geographical point of view.