From the mountains to the sea: Assemblage structure and dynamics in Chironomidae (Insecta: Diptera) in the Clyde River estuarine gradient, New South Wales, south-eastern Australia

Chironomidae (Insecta: Diptera: non-biting midges) were surveyed at five shallow riffle stations along the estuarine gradient of the Clyde River, southern New South Wales (35°45′S, 150°15′E). Benthic populations were sampled seasonally between April 2001 and January 2002, between an uppermost fully fresh station and 7 km south of the tidal limit at Shallow Crossing, encompassing a 23 km stretch. Biological structure and integrity of chironomid assemblages, which are essentially unknown in eastern Australia's estuarine environments, were elucidated. Assemblages were diverse: from 5732 chironomid larvae, 45 species belonging to four subfamilies were identified from riffles. All chironomid assemblages were strongly structured and non-random with respect to spatial position along the salinity gradient although relatively random with respect to temporal shifts between the five seasonal samples. Generally, the salinity gradient had strong effects on assemblage composition but no discrete brackish fauna was identifiable, and the abundance of many species declined gradually with distance from the freshest station. Dominant taxa in the brackish zone were Parakiefferiella 'variegatus' and two species of Cladotanytarsus. Notably, the little-known Semiocladius crassipennis Skuse (Orthocladiinae) was abundant at the most marine-influenced station. Taxa present exclusively in freshwaters included several Tanypodinae notably absent from sites below Shallow Crossing at salinities normally tolerated in athalassic waters. Other species restricted to freshwaters included Nanocladius sp., Demicryptochironomus (Irmakia) sp., Polypedilum vespertinus (Skuse), Zavrelliella fuscoguttata (Kieffer), Riethia stictoptera (Kieffer) and Podonomopsis sp.