Boletín de la RSEHN. Sección Biológica

En el presente estudio se aporta el inventario de los invertebrados acuáticos recolectados en el Ullal de Baldoví (Sueca, Valencia) durante el año 2007. Se trata de un manantial emblemático de aguas oligohalinas, situado en el interior del Parque Natural de l’Albufera de Valencia. Se contabilizaron 81 taxones distribuidos en 6 filos, 24 órdenes y 57 familias. Los resultados se han obtenido en seis estaciones de muestreo repartidas entre los diferentes ambientes del Ullal, incluyendo una parte restaurada. Se localizan tres endemismos, de los cuales uno, Melanopsis tricarinata (Bruguière, 1789), lo es al nivel ibérico y los otros dos, Dugastella valentina (Ferrer Galdiano, 1924) y Palaemonetes zariquieyi Sollaud, 1939, lo son para la Comunidad Valenciana (CV). Se detecta una cita nueva para las aguas continentales de la CV, un anfípodo de la familia Aoridae; Leptocheirus pilosus Zaddach, 1844. En el conjunto de taxones, quince pertececen a la clase Ostracoda, con dos especies exóticas invasora (EEI) Fabaeformiscandona subacuta (Yang, 1982) y Stenocypris major (Baird, 1859). Los resultados obtenidos parecen indicar que la reciente restauración ha permitido, hasta la fecha, la colonización de nuevos taxones en el Ullal de Baldoví.

The water body Ullal de Baldoví (Sueca, Valencia) is a priority habitat (Calcareous fens with Cladium mariscus, code 7210 of EU priority habitats) system located inside the Albufera Natural Park (Fig. 1), composed of reduced surface but deep ponds, associated with subterranean springs. Its progressive reduction and degradation forced the regional government (Consellería de Infraestructuras, Territorio y Medio Ambiente) and the local council of the city of Sueca to start a restoration action that lasted until 2008. This restoration plan was concluded in the framework of a LIFE-Nature development project, “Recovering of a priority habitat in the Albufera Natural Park”, known as “Proyecto Ullals” (“Spring pond project”).

In the present study we provide a list of the aquatic invertebrates collected in Ullal de Baldoví (Sueca, Valencia) during 2007. This is an emblematic spring system with oligohaline waters, located inside the l’Albufera Natural Park. In total, 81 taxa were found distributed in 6 phyla, 24 orders and 57 families. These results were obtained from six sampling stations accounting for different environments in the Ullal, including a restored area. Three endemisms were found: Melanopsis tricarinata (Bruguière, 1789), an species endemic to the Iberian Peninsula, plus Dugastella valentina (Ferrer Galdiano, 1924) and Palaemonetes zariquieyi Sollaud, 1939 both with even more restricted distributions in the Valencian region. Leptocheirus pilosus Zaddach, 1844, an amphipod species belonging to the family Aoridae is reported for the first time in the region. Fifteen taxa belong to the class Ostracoda, two of which are considered invasive alien species (IAS): Fabaeformiscandona subacuta (Yang, 1982) and Stenocypris major (Baird, 1859). In the study carried out by Poquet et al. (2008) on the ostracods of shallow lakes in the Valencian Community, 6 species were found in the Ullal de Baldoví system during 2000. In comparison, just one of them, Candonopsis scourfieldi Brady, 1910, was not collected during the present survey. The limnological results indicate low variability in conductivity, salinity, chlorides and alkalinity in the Ullal (Tab. I). The recent restorated part of the system has allowed the colonization of several new taxa into Ullal de Baldoví.

When aiming at estimating the maximum biodiversity of an ecosystem, it is essential to carefully select a wide array of habitat types to be sampled, in order to maximize the expected number of taxa. In comparison to a previous survey carried out in 2000 (Sahuquillo et al., 2007) in the same system, the present survey is remarkable with regards to the notably higher number of taxa collected in the Ullal de Baldoví water body. The importance of seasonal sampling campaigns is made clear to thoroughly characterise epicontinental aquatic systems, even when studying such a stable water body. Indeed, a monthly monitoring survey for one year would most probably uncover a higher faunistic richness of the system and would maximise its environmental value, a reason to remark the necessity for a preservation of this environment for the future generations.