Abundância e distribuição de Aeglidae (Crustacea: Anomura) em função do uso da terra na bacia hidrográfica do Rio Jacutinga, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil

ABSTRACT

This study investigated the influence of land use and occupation on the density and distribution of aeglids in the hydrographic basin of the Jacutinga river (northern state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil). Sampling was carried out during the summer and winter of 2004, at 12 sites distributed in river spring, agriculture, grazing, and urban areas. Animals were collected using a Surber sampler. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted to evaluate differences in the density of species in each land use and sampling period. Biological data were classified using cluster analysis (Euclidian distance; UPGMA). A total of 226 aeglids were captured, including 167 (78.89%) specimens of Aegla platensis Schmitt, 1942 and 59 (26.11%) specimens of A. singularis Ringuelett, 1948. The aeglid distribution was associated with land use and occupation. In river spring and grazing areas, A. platensis was predominant, whereas in urban and agricultural areas A. singularis was the most prevalent species.