The Biota of the Gordon Natural Area - Invertebrates
As with some of the other biotic groups, the research pattern for invertebrates at the GNA might best be described as ‘intermittent.’ Former WCU professor Win Fairchild and his students conducted research on aquatic invertebrates in Plum Run, both inside and outside of the boundaries of the GNA. To date, the only data from that work that we’ve been able to obtain are from the 2007 M.S. thesis of Danielle Difederico. Since that time, the only ‘directed’ invertebrate research at the GNA has been the annual monitoring in Plum Run by the Stroud Water Research Center (SWRC). Additional data come from the increasing frequent observations by GNA staff and from occasional observations from visitors to the GNA posted on iNaturalist.
From these sources, 363 species of invertebrates, in 240 genera, 153 families, and 37 orders have been noted at the GNA to date. Approximately one quarter (88 species; 24.2%) of the 363 species noted for the GNA were observed by Stroud researchers. Invertebrates have been grouped into seven categories: Arthropods (41 species); Crustaceans (12 species); Flatworms (3 species); Gastropods (12 species); Insects (286 species); Ribbon Worms (1 species); Springtails (6 species); and, Worms (2 species). The three best-represented Orders are in the Insects category: the Diptera (93 species), Lepidoptera (46 species), and Coleoptera (41 species). The best-represented Families are the Chironomidae (Diptera, 41 species), Erebidae (Lepidoptera; 10 species); Vespidae (Hymenoptera ; 10 species), Elmidae (Coleoptera, 8 species), and Hydropsychidae (Trichoptera, 8 species). The best-represented genera are Orthocladius (10 species), Hydropsyche and Tipula (5 species each), and Arion and Thienemanniella (4 species each).
You can explore the avian checklist below, or you can access a pdf copy of the checklist.