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ZooKeys 1233: 107-123 (2025) DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1233.142856

Short Communication

Chironomidae (Diptera) from mountain lakes of the Eastern Carpathians, Romania: First records and insight into diversity

Peter BituSik'®, Veronika Slobodnikova'™®, Milan Novikmec2®, Adam Duda8"®, Ladislav Hamerlik!2©

1 Faculty of Natural Sciences, Matej Bel University, Tajovského 40, SK-974 01 Banska Bystrica, Slovakia

2 Faculty of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Technical University in Zvolen, T. G. Masaryka 24, SK-960 01 Zvolen, Slovakia 3 Institute of Zoology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravskd cesta 9, SK-845 06 Bratislava, Slovakia

Corresponding author: Ladislav Hamerlik (ladislav.hamerlik@umb.sk)

OPEN Qaccess

Academic editor: Viktor Baranov Received: 27 November 2024 Accepted: 11 February 2025 Published: 28 March 2025

ZooBank: https://zoobank. org/1738A1F8-BF8D-4753-A4CF- EA8970EF5592

Citation: Bitusik P Slobodnikova

V, Novikmec M, Dudas A, Hamerlik L (2025) Chironomidae (Diptera) from mountain lakes of the Eastern Carpathians, Romania: First records and insight into diversity.

ZooKeys 1233: 107-123. https://doi.

org/10.3897/zookeys.1233.142856

Copyright: © Peter BituSik et al. This is an open access article distributed under terms of the Creative Commons Attribution

License (Attribution 4.0 International - CC BY 4.0).

Abstract

Lakes at high altitudes are extremely sensitive to environmental stressors at both local and global scales, making them important sentinels of the changing world. Chironomi- dae, the most diverse group of benthic macroinvertebrates inhabiting mountain lakes, respond to various environmental impacts, making them important bioindicators of the lake’s ecological status. This study aimed to provide the first insight into chironomid diversity in high-altitude lakes from two mountain ranges of the Romanian Eastern Car- pathians: the Maramures, and the Rodna Mountains. Floating chironomid material was collected by skimming the water surface with a hand net from 16 lakes at elevations ranging from 1378 to 1922 maz.s.l. A total of 50 species/ taxa were collected, including nine new records for Romania. Notes on newly recorded species’ distribution, ecology and taxonomy are provided. In addition, an identification key for Procladius choreus and P. sagittalis based on thoracic horn characteristics is given. With our addition, the total number of chironomid species known from Romania is now 526. The study provides a baseline for future research on chironomid diversity, ecology, and biogeography in high-altitude lakes of the Carpathian Mountains.

Key words: Biomonitoring, high-altitude lakes, males, Maramures Mountains, new re- cord, non-biting midges, Procladius identification key, pupal exuviae, Rodna Mountains

Introduction

Chironomidae is the most diverse group of benthic macroinvertebrates inhabit- ing high-altitude lakes and ponds, where they can represent twice the diversity of all other macroinvertebrate groups and often predominate quantitatively as well (e.g., Lods-Crozet et al. 2012 and references therein). Due to these attri- butes, chironomids are considered a good surrogate for benthic macroinverte- brates in ecological studies and biomonitoring programs (Ruse 2010).

The sensitivity of chironomid species to various environmental impacts, such as climate change, long-range air pollution, and species introduction, makes this insect group important bioindicators in both contemporary and pa- laeoecological studies (Nicacio and Juen 2015 and references therein).

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Peter BituSik et al.: Chironomidae first records from the Eastern Carpathians

Understanding the regional chironomid fauna of mountain lakes is the first step towards using the species for lake status assessment and further moni- toring. Additionally, faunistic data from contemporary limnological studies can aid in the interpretation of paleolimnological data in mountain regions (Battar- bee and Bennion 2012).

Our ongoing limnological research on chironomid fauna in alpine lakes of the Eastern Carpathians has shifted from the Chornohora and Svydovets Moun- tains in Ukraine (Bitusik et al. 2020, 2024) to the Maramures and Rodna Moun- tains in northern Romania.

In this study, we provide the first insight into the diversity of the Chironomi- dae family in mountain lakes of these ranges, including species recorded in Romania for the first time. The results will serve as baseline information for further research on chironomid diversity, ecology, and biogeography in Carpath- ian lakes, as well as a basis for long-term monitoring of lake ecological status and as a prerequisite for developing appropriate management and protection strategies for these ecosystems.

Material and methods Study area and sampling sites

The study was carried out on 16 lakes within two orographic units of the East- ern Carpathians in northern Romania: the Maramures, and the Rodna Moun- tains (Fig. 1).

Both massifs are extensive, covering an area of 1500 km? with a length of around 100 km (Maramures Mts) and 1300 km? with a length of almost 50 km (Rodna Mts). The Rodna Mts are the highest range in the Romanian Eastern Carpathians, with peaks exceeding 2200 m, while the Maramures Mts reach a maximum elevation of 1957 m.

The geology of both massifs primarily consists of crystalline rocks (gneiss, epimetamorphic schists, mica schists) penetrated by eruptive rocks (dacites, andesites, rhyolites) and sedimentary rocks (conglomerates, sandstone, clay schist, shale, marl, clay; Curtean-Banaduc et al. 2008; Chis 2010).

Both mountain ranges have a moderate temperate continental climate with Atlantic and Baltic influences. Based on data from the lezer meteorological sta- tion (Rodna Mts, 1785 m a.s.l.), the mean annual temperature is 1.4 °C, mean air summer temperature is 9.4 °C, mean July air temperature is 10.3 °C, and the annual precipitation is 1240 mm, applicable to lakes at or above the natural tim- berline (1700-1850 m) (Kucsicsa 2011). Adjusted to 1360 m a.s.l., the forest zone has an average annual temperature of 3.4 °C, a mean Summer tempera- ture of 11.6 °C, and a mean July air temperature of 12.5 °C (Farcas et al. 2013; Diaconu et al. 2017).

The Rodna Mts were heavily glaciated during the Last Glacial Maximum and show clear glacial imprints, such as glacial cirques, lakes, and peatbogs (Min- drescu and Evans 2014). There are about 23 lakes in the Rodna Mts, each with a surface area under 0.5 ha and a maximum depth of 5.2 m (Chis 2010). In con- trast, Pleistocene glaciation had a lower impact on the Maramures Mts (Costea 2008). The lakes of glacial origin there are generally small, and many are in an ad- vanced terrestrialization phase or have already turned into peat bogs (Chis 2010).

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24.47°E

44,.22°N

Figure 1. Geographical location of the study area and maps showing sampling sites in the East Carpathians. Star marks the Maramures Mts, spark denotes the Rodna Mts. Site codes correspond to the codes in Table 1.

The surveyed lakes in the Maramures Mts include four lakes situated in the Farcau area (Chis 2008) at altitudes ranging from 1603 m (the lower lake in the glacial cirque Vartopul Mare) to 1786 m a.s.|. (Lake Livia). The 12 studied lakes in the Rodna Mts are located at altitudes between 1378 m (Lake Taul Muced) and 1922 ma.s.|. (Lake Lala Mica) (Table 1).

Except for two forest lakes (Taul Muced, Taul Hardau), the remaining lakes are above the recent tree-line, averaging about 1600 m in the Rodna Mts (Kuc- sicsa 2011). The natural tree-line has been significantly impacted by deforesta- tion and grazing, lowering the upper forest limit and fragmenting the transition between the forest and the sub-alpine zone, especially affecting dwarf pine, juniper and rhododendron growth. In the Maramures Mts, all lake catchments are treeless and heavily affected by gully erosion and shallow landslides (Bal- teanu et al. 2016).

The basic characteristics of the sampling sites are summarized in Table 1.

Sampling and identification

The chironomid survey was conducted during three sampling campaigns in Au- gust 2022 and July 2024 (lakes in the Maramures Mts) and in July 2023 (lakes in the Rodna Mts). Floating chironomid pupal exuviae, pupae and drowned adults were collected along the entire lake shores by skimming the water surface with a hand net (mesh size 250 um, frame diameter 25 cm, telescopic handle).

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Table 1. Basic characteristics of the sampling sites. If we were unaware of official lake names, we named the lakes for the adjacent hills. Maximum depth was either measured in the field or abstracted from available literature: *Akinyemi et al. (2013), **Mindrescu et al. (2013). Lake area was estimated using the polygon tool in Google Earth Pro. +/- indicate presence/absence of inflow/outflow. Abbreviations of catchment characteristics: EAP — extensive alpine pastures, AM — alpine meadows, DP - dwarf mountain pine shrubs (Pinus mugo), RS — rhododendron shrubs (Rhododendron myrtifo- lium), NS — Norway spruce (Picea abies), BR — bare rocks, P — peatbog.

Mountain range/ Lake name | Code | Geographical coordinates Elevation (m) Max. depth (m) | Lake area (m7?) pathcsat Catchment Maramures Mts.

Livia M1 47°54.26'N, 24°27.59'E 1786 3.5 622 -/- EAP Vinderel M2 | 47°54.55'N, 24°27.33'E 1677 5.0 6183 +/+ EAP Vartopul 1 M3 | 47°53.82'N, 24°27.63'E 1647 0.8 843 nyt EAP Vartopul 2 M4 | 47°53.59'N, 24°27.76'E 1603 0.8 246 +/- EAP Rodna Mts.

Lala Mare R1 47°31.68'N, 24°53.99'E 1805 1.5 6665 +/+ AM, DP Lala Mica R2 | 47°31.60'N, 24°53.46'E 1922 0.6 Dooe +/+ AM, RS Taul Hardau R3 47°34.93'N, 24°49.20'E 1O0Z *3.5 568 -/- EAP, NS Taul Stiol R4 | 47°34.35'N, 24°48.82'E 1657 5.0 10790 +/+ EAP, DP Gargalau 3 R5 47°34.42'N, 24°47.64'E 1911 0.9 263 afr EAP Gargalau 2 R6 47°34.55'N, 24°47.32'E 1887 2 120 ba EAP Gargalau 1 R7 47°34.56'N, 24°47.18'E 1894 0.4 601 -/- EAP Lacul lezer R8 47°35.90'N, 24°38.78'E 1822 *kA5 3883 +/+ AM, BR, DP Buhaescu 1 R9 47°35.21'N, 24°38.71'E 1825 3.0 783 ae fa AM, BR, DP Buhaescu 2 R10 | 47°35.30'N, 24°38.58'E 1892 SW 1529 +/+ AM, BR, DP Buhaescu 3 R11 | 47°35.33'N, 24°38.58'E 1911 2.0 659 -/+ AM, BR, DP Taul Muced R12 | 47°34.44'N, 24°32.70'E 1378 1.0 593 -/- P, NS, DP

Onshore, each sample was transferred to a labelled 100 ml plastic bottle and preserved in 4% formalin. In the laboratory, samples were placed in Petri dishes and all specimens were sorted under a stereomicroscope at a magnification of 7:5-50x.

Pupal exuviae were examined and classified to at least the genus level. All pupal exuviae of the least abundant morphotypes, as well as pharate adults and males associated with pupal skins, were mounted on microscopic slides, while at least 10 exuviae were prepared for the most abundant ones.

Berlese solution was used as the mounting medium. Chironomid pupal ex- uviae were identified using Langton and Visser (2003), while adults were iden- tified with Langton and Pinder (2007a, 2007b). In some cases, more detailed keys were used, including Fittkau (1962); Reiss (1969); Sdwedal (1976); and Langton et al. (2013). Species nomenclature and distribution follow Ashe and O’Connor (2009, 2012); and de Jong (2016).

All the slides and samples are archived in the Department of Biology and Environmental Studies, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Matej Bel University in Banska Bystrica, Slovakia.

Statistical analysis

To improve the separation of Procladius pupal exuviae, we focused on thoracic horn parameters of the exuviae which were associated with males of P sagittalis from Lakes Vartopul 1 and Vartopul 2 and compared them with those of P. cho- reus from Western Carpathian reservoirs. Our previous research showed that only

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thoracic horn characteristics were statistically significant for the identification of Procladius exuviae (Langton et al. 2013). We measured thoracic horn length, max- imum breadth, and plastron plate diameter on a total of 30 thoracic horns from 15 P sagittalis specimens and 81 thoracic horns from 41 P choreus specimens.

For automatised classification, a decision tree classifier of Custode and lac- ca (2023) was selected for its decision-making quality and interpretability.

Results and discussion

A total of 1118 chironomid pupal exuviae, six pupae, seven pharate adults (six males, one female), 40 males and one female were collected and identified, representing 50 chironomid species/ taxa from 26 genera across 5 subfami- lies. Nine Chironomidae species were recorded for the first time in Romania.

A list of all species/ taxa recorded is provided below; sampling site codes re- fer to Table 1; “Pe” after the genus name refers to a morphotype not associated with an adult by Langton (1991); * denotes the first record of a species from Romania. For detailed data on collected specimen abundance and life stages, see Suppl. materal 1.

CHIRONOMIDAE

Tanypodinae

Procladius (Holotanypus) choreus (Meigen, 1804): M1, M2, R3 *Procladius (Holotanypus) sagittalis (Kieffer, 1909): M3, M4 *Procladius (Holotanypus) simplicistilus Freeman, 1948: R5 Procladius (Holotanypus) Pe3 Langton 1991: R7, R12 Macropelopia nebulosa (Meigen, 1804): R1, R4

Monopelopia tenuicalcar (Kieffer, 1918): R12

*Zavrelimyia punctatissima (Goetghebuer, 1934): R4

Diamesinae Diamesa Pe 5? Langton 1991: R4 Pseudodiamesa (Pseudodiamesa) nivosa (Goetghebuer, 1928): R8

Prodiamesinae Prodiamesa olivacea (Meigen, 1818): R1, R8

Orthocladiinae

Brillia bifida (Kieffer, 1909): R9

Bryophaenocladius sp./ Gymnometriocnemus sp.: R2 Corynoneura celeripes Winnertz, 1852: R3

Corynoneura celtica Edwards, 1924: R4

Corynoneura lobata Edwards, 1924: R12

Cricotopus (Cricotopus) cf. albiforceps (Kieffer, 1916): R1 Cricotopus (Cricotopus) curtus Hirvenoja, 1973: R4 Cricotopus (Isocladius) sylvestris (Fabricius, 1794): R4 Cricotopus (Isocladius) trifasciatus (Meigen, 1810): M2 Eukiefferiella coerulescens Kieffer, 1926: R4 Eukiefferiella cf. dittmari Lehman, 1972: R4

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Heterotrissocladius marcidus (Walker, 1856): R2, R8, R9, R10, R11 Krenosmittia camptophleps (Edwards, 1929): R4

Limnophyes cf. asquamatus Andersen, 1937: M1, M2, R5, R6, R7, R8 Limnophyes cf. gelasinus Saether 1990: R2

Orthocladius (Mesorthocladius) frigidus (Zetterstedt, 1838): R8 Psectrocladius (Allopsectrocladius) obvius (Walker, 1856): M4, R4 *Psectrocladius (Allopsectrocladius) platypus (Edwards, 1929): M4, R12 *Psectrocladius (Psectrocladius) oligosetus Wuelker, 1956: R3, R7, R12 Rheocricotopus (Rheocricotopus) effusus (Walker, 1856): R4 Thienemanniella Pe1 Langton 1991: R4

Chironominae

Chironomus (Chironomus) cf. aberratus Keyl, 1961: M2, M4, R3, R4, R5 Chironomus (Chironomus) cf. holomelas Keyl, 1961: R6

Chironomus (Chironomus) cf. longistylus Goetghebuer, 1921: M2, M3, M4, R3, R7 Chironomus (Lobochironomus) dorsalis Meigen, 1818: R5, R6 Chironomus (Lobochironomus) Pe2 Langton 1991: R3, R5, R6, R7 Chironomus (Chironomus) sp.: R3

Cladopelma goetghebueri Spies et Saether, 2004: R12

Polypedilum (Pentapedilum) cf. uncinatum (Goetghebuer, 1921): R3 *Synendotendipes lepidus (Meigen, 1830): R5

Synendotendipes sp.: M3, M4, R3, R5, R6, R7, R12

*Micropsectra bodanica Reiss, 1969: M2

Micropsectra junci (Meigen, 1818): R9

Micropsectra lindrothi Goetghebuer, 1931: M2

*Micropsectra notescens (Walker, 1856): R10, R11

Paratanytarsus austriacus (Kieffer, 1924): M2, R4

Tanytarsus bathophilus Kieffer 1911: R4, R8

Tanytarsus gregarius Kieffer, 1909: R1, R2, R4

*Tanytarsus miriforceps (Kieffer, 1921): R2, R4

Tanytarsus Pe 4c Langton 1991/ debilis (Meigen, 1830): M2, M3

Comments on new records of Chironomidae from Romania

Zavrelimyia punctatissima (Goetghebuer, 1934)

Material examined. * 6 pupal exuviae, Taul Stiol (R4), 3 July 2023.

Distribution. West Palaearctic. The species is known from a few Europe- an countries: Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, and Slovakia (Ashe and O’Connor 2009).

Habitat. It is a cold-stenothermal species adapted to live in oligotrophic wa- ters with high oxygen concentrations (Boggero and Lencioni 2006). Boggero (2018) considers it strictly rheophilous. The species is a typical inhabitant of the littoral, inlets and outlets of alpine lakes (Rossaro et al. 2006; Hamerlik and BituSik 2008; Steingruber et al 2013).

Remarks. Pupal exuviae closely resemble those of Zavrelimyia hirtimana (Kieffer, 1918), but all collected specimens exhibit very small plastron plates. The plastron plate diameter to thoracic horn length (0.054—0.055) aligns with the diagnosis of Langton and Visser (2003) for Z. punctatissima.

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Procladius (Holotanypus) sagittalis (Kieffer, 1909)

Material examined. * 11 pupal exuviae, 1 male, Lake Vartopul 1 (M3), 1 July 2024 + 25 pupal exuviae, 2 pupae, 1 pharate adult — male, Lake Vartopul 2 (M4), 1 July 2024.

Distribution. Palaearctic and Oriental. Distributed from Europe and North Af- rica through Iran to Japan and the Russian Far East. One record is known from China (Ashe and O’Connor 2009; de Jong 2016).

Habitat. Generally, larvae of the subgenus Holotanypus are dwellers of stag- nant and slow flowing waters regardless of size or volume. Langton (1991) noted that P sagittalis typically occurs in shallow water under 2 m deep, which aligns with the findings from small-volume habitats (e.g., Velasco et al. 1993; Hirabayashi et al. 2004). However, the species has also been recorded from artificial ponds and reservoirs, as well as from backwaters, and large rivers (BituSik 1993; Evrard 1994; Mora et al. 2010; Quintana et al. 2018). It should be noted that ecological information on the species could be more accurate if the identification of the preimaginal stages were more reliably resolved.

Remarks. Identification of the pupal exuviae, and even adult males of Procla- dius (Holotanypus) is extremely challenging (Vallenduuk and Moller Pillot 2007). The extended key for exuvia (Langton et al. 2013) is not reliably applicable to Procladius material collected from the Maramures lakes due to the variability of the tergite armament. Notably, the distinctive “fish scale” armament typical of P choreus can also appear in some specimens of Procladius Pe3. The parameters of the thoracic horns appear to be more reliable characteristics for identification.

Thus, we propose a model that classifies input data with 97% accuracy, achieving 100% for P sagittalis and 96% for P choreus. Based on the decision tree trained on our dataset, we constructed an identification key for distinguish- ing the aforementioned Procladius species (Table 2). We are aware of the ten- tative nature of the key and acknowledge that a larger dataset would improve the tuning and evaluation of the proposed system. Therefore, the proposed key should be used with great caution.

Table 2. A tentative identification key for Procladius choreus and P sagittalis based on tho- racic horn characteristics, using the decision tree classifier of Custode and lacca (2023).

para od Question text aa Beeut sg 1 Is the length of the thoracic horn < 469 pm? P sagittalis 2 Z Is the diameter of the plastron plate < 93 um? a 4 3 Is the length of the thoracic horn < 478 pm? 5 P choreus 4 Is the breadth of the thoracic horn < 144 um? P choreus P. sagittalis 5 Is the length of the thoracic horn < 476 pm? P choreus P. sagittalis

Procladius (Holotanypus) simplicistilus Freeman, 1948

Material examined. + 1 pharate adult — male, Lake Gargalau 3 (R5), 6 July 2023.

Distribution. Palaearctic. The species was recorded only from a few coun- tries in West and North Europe, but also from the Far East of Russia (Ashe and O’Connor 2009).

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Habitat. The ecological requirements of this species are not sufficiently known because of the problematic identification of the pre-imaginal stages. Generally, larvae inhabit stagnant waters, they are resistant to low pH values (Murray and Baars 2006; Perova 2008; Baars et al. 2014) and salinity (Kawai et al. 2000).

Remarks. An adult male with associated exuviae confirms the presence of the species in Romania.

Psectrocladius (Allopsectrocladius) platypus (Edwards, 1929)

Material examined. * 64 pupal exuviae, 1 pharate adult - male, Lake Vartopul 2 (M4), 1 July 2024 * 1 pupal exuviae, Taul Hardau (R3), 6 July 2023.

Distribution. Palaearctic. Known from several European countries, as well as Turkey and Algeria (Ashe and O’Connor 2009).

Habitat. The species is typical of small, acidic, stagnant waters in moor- lands and peat bogs. In addition to tolerating low pH, it can withstand low oxygen levels in polyhumic waters; however, larvae are also found in lake lit- torals and small streams with slow currents (Moller Pillot 2013 and referenc- es therein). In the Western Carpathians, pupal exuviae were collected from a small, non-acid sub-alpine lake (Bitusik et al. 2006). The species is frequently recorded in temporary pools and ponds (e.g., Bazzanti et al. 1997; Punti et al. 2007), as well as ephemeral waters (Moller Pillot 2003), indicating relatively high dispersal potential of females.

Remarks. The findings indicate the humic conditions of Taul Hardau and suggest at least partial drying of Lake Vartopul 2.

Psectrocladius (Psectrocladius) oligosetus Wuelker, 1956

Material examined. - 26 pupal exuviae, Taul Hardau (R3), 6 July 2023; 59 pupal exuviae, Taul Muced (R12), 7 July 2023 « 1 pupal exuviae, Lake Gargalau 1 (R7), 6 July 2023.

Distribution. Palaearctic. Recorded from several European countries ranging from the south (Sicily) to the north (Scandinavia) and from the west (Ireland) to the eastern part of Russia (Ashe and O’Connor 2009).

Habitat. Cold-stenothermic species occurring in lakes in mountain regions (e.g., Laville and Vincon 1986, Bitusik et al. 2007, Boggero 2018), although Rieradevall et al. (2007) found it in intermittent mountain headstreams. The species shows an apparent affinity for low pH humic waters (e.g., Ruse 2002; Bitusik and Svitok 2006; Moller Pillot 2013; Bitusik et al. 2020).

Remarks. This finding, along with an earlier record from Ukraine (Bitusik et al. 2020), partially fills the distribution gap of the species extending from the Baltic republics across Poland to the Balkans.

Synendotendipes lepidus (Meigen, 1830)

Material examined. - 4 males, 1 female, Lake Gargalau 3 (R5), 6 July 2023.

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Distribution. Palaearctic. Widespread in Europe (Ashe and Cranston 1984, Moller Pillot 2009), and it has been reported from Turkey (Ozbek et al. 2018) and the Russian Far East (Orel 2016).

Habitat. The species has been recorded mainly from stagnant waters regard- less of size and trophic status. Lundstrém et al. (2010) collected adults from temporary wetlands, and there are data from lowland brooks (Ozbek et al. 2018). Like other species of the genus, it tolerates acid conditions of peatland pools (Pléciennik et al. 2018). According to Moller Pillot (2009), the larvae are miners in the tissues of Nuphar lutea. However, they evidently utilize other types of litto- ral vegetation, such as sedges, since N. /utea does not occur in the studied lakes.

Remarks. Species of the genus Synendotendipes are indistinguishable as pupal exuviae, so it is not possible to confirm if Synendotendipes pupal exuviae recorded in other lakes also belong to S. /epidus.

Micropsectra bodanica Reiss, 1969

Material examined. - 1 male, Lake Vinderel (M2), 1 July 2023.

Distribution. Palaearctic. The species has so far been recorded from only a few countries, such as Germany, Austria, and Portugal, with its occurrence in Corsica and Slovakia not yet confirmed (Moubayed-Breil and Ashe 2012; Novik- mec et al. 2015).

Habitat. Ecological requirements of the species are still inadequately under- stood. Reiss (1969) considered the species (together with M. attenuata) as cold stenothermic and polyoxybiontic, typically inhabiting mosses on stones in springs and the upper stretches of streams (see also Langton and Visser 2003). Records of the pupal exuviae of M. attenuata/bodanica in the Western Carpathians come from headwater streams (one even artificially modified) with stony bottoms but without moss growths (Novikmec et al. 2015). It can be assumed that the col- lected adult male comes from a spring or small stream flowing in Lake Vinderel.

Remarks. Since the pupal exuviae of M. bodanica are indistinguishable from those of M. attenuata (Langton and Visser 2003), the first record of M. bodanica based on an adult male in Romania is particularly valuable.

Micropsectra notescens (Walker, 1856)

Material examined. + 26 pupal exuviae, Lake Buhaescu 2 (R10), 5 July 2023 + 22 pupal exuviae, Lake Buhaescu 3 (R11), 5 July 2023.

Distribution. Palaearctic. Widespread in Europe including the Canary Islands (Langton and Visser 2003); also recorded in Morocco (Kettani and Langton 2011).

Habitat. Traditionally, the species is considered cold stenothermic and poly- oxybiontic (SAawedal 1976). It has been documented in mountain, boreal and woodland springs and spring brooks (Orendt 2000; IImonen et al. 2009; Lencioni et al. 2012), as well as alpine lakes and ponds (BituSik et al. 2006; Oertli et al. 2010; Lods-Crozet et al. 2012). However, data from low-altitude streams suggest a wider temperature tolerance (Mora and Szivak 2012). Its presence in tempo- rary habitats, such as fountains (Obona et al. 2017) and temporarily flooded wet- lands (Lundstrém et al. 2010), indicates a high distribution potential of females.

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Remarks. The presence of M. notescens in Romania has already been re- ported by Sawedal (1976) based on two males collected by Andrzej Kownacki from the Fagaras Mts. However, the species is not listed in the latest checklist of Romanian Chironomidae (Tatole 2023).

Tanytarsus miriforceps (Kieffer, 1921)

Material examined. - 13 pupal exuviae, 1 adult — male, Taul Stiol (R4), 3 July 2023 + 110 pupal exuviae, 1 pharate adult - male, 1 adult —- male, Lake Lala Mica (R2), 4 July 2023.

Distribution. Holarctic. The species is widespread across Europe, primarily in northern and western countries (Ashe and Cranston 1984; de Jong 2016), with recent records in Poland, Montenegro and European Russia (Gilka and Do- miniak 2007; Krasheninnikov 2014; Gadawski et al. 2022). It is also known from Canada (de Jong 2016); and the Far East (Orel 2018).

Habitat. Current data indicate that this species is a limnobiont inhabiting lakes mainly at high altitudes and high latitudes (except for Lake Skadar), sug- gesting a preference for low temperatures (e.g., Verneaux and Aleya 1999).

Remarks. The species exhibits symptoms of glacial relictualism as already suggested by Reiss and Fittkau (1971) and Reiss (1984).

The collection of floating chironomid pupal exuviae from the lakes in this study provides an excellent basis for the chironomid inventory of the area. For species identification, exuviae are sometimes even more useful than adults (Prat et al. 2016). However, it should be noted that our species inventory froma “snapshot” survey cannot be comprehensive, as not all species present ina site emerge simultaneously. Even though the collection was conducted during a pe- riod suitable for recording most species (Wilson and Ruse 2005; own data), we believe that the absence of cold-stenothermic species/ genera in our collection is due to their early spring emergence.

Compared to some Central and East European countries, such as Hunga- ry, Ukraine, Czechia, Slovakia, and Poland, the Romanian chironomid fauna is relatively well-studied. The latest checklist of the family from Romania (Tatole 2023) includes 517 species, with recent records of nine additional species rais- ing this total to 526. This number could be even higher if species within the genus Limnophyes and some Chironomus species could be reliably identified.

A detailed examination of the chorological data in the aforementioned checklist reveals a lack of records from the Rodna and Maramures Mountains. Chironomids are also absent from the list of Diptera collected in Maramures Mountains Nature Park (Parvu 2008). The only available information on chi- ronomids associated with the studied lakes comes from the sediment core of Lake Taul Muced, where subfossil larval remains were identified to morphotype level (Diaconu et al. 2017).

Here, we provide the first information about chironomid occurrence within the protected areas of Maramures Mountains Nature Park and Rodna Moun- tains National Park, offering potential value to use by the administrations of both parks.

ZooKeys 1233: 107-123 (2025), DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1233.142856 116

Peter BituSik et al.: Chironomidae first records from the Eastern Carpathians

Acknowledgements

We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Administrations of the Maramures Mountains Nature Park and Rodna Mountains National Park. We are especially indebted to Vasile Ciolpan, loan Coman and Claudiu lusan for valuable advice, providing field collection assistance and transport to some sampling sites.

Additional information

Conflict of interest

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Ethical statement

No ethical statement was reported.

Funding

The study of mountain lakes in the Carpathians was supported by the Slovak Research and Development Agency (project No. APVV-20-0358) and Grant Agency VEGA (project No. 1/0400/21).

Author contributions

Conceptualization: PB. Data curation: PB. Formal analysis: MN, AD. Funding acquisition: PB. Investigation: AD. Software: AD. Validation: LH. Visualization: MN. Writing —- original draft: MN, PB, LH, AD, VS. Writing — review and editing: PB, MN, VS, LH.

Author ORCIDs

Peter Bitusik © https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8439-4582

Veronika Slobodnikova © https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4098-5791 Milan Novikmec © https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5192-4575 Adam Dudas © https://orcid.org/0000-0001-551 7-9464

Ladislav Hamerlik © https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0803-8981

Data availability

All of the data that support the findings of this study are available in the main text or Supplementary Information.

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Supplementary material 1

List of chironomid taxa collected from studied lakes in the Maramures Mts. and the Rodna Mts.

Authors: Peter Bitusik, Veronika Slobodnikova, Milan Novikmec, Adam Dudas, Ladislav Hamerlik

Data type: docx

Explanation note: Sampling site codes refer to codes in Table 1; numbers refer to num- ber of chironomid pupal exuviae collected; P - pupa, M — male, F — female (in case of adult specimens), PhM — pharate adult male, PhF — pharate adult female, * — first record of species for Romania.

Copyright notice: This dataset is made available under the Open Database License (http://opendatacommons.org/licenses/odbl/1.0/). The Open Database License (ODbL) is a license agreement intended to allow users to freely share, modify, and use this Dataset while maintaining this same freedom for others, provided that the original source and author(s) are credited.

Link: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1233.142856.suppl1

ZooKeys 1233: 107-123 (2025), DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1233.142856 123