Great Basin Naturalist
Article Title
Zoogeographic affinities of the stoneflies (Plecoptera) of the Raft River Mountains, Utah
Abstract
We examined faunal affinities of the Raft River Mountains using stoneflies (Plecoptera) as indicators. This island-like mountain range is isolated from other major mountain ranges in the Intermountain West by low-elevation, arid regions. Thirty-seven species were recorded from collections from 19 sites in the Raft River Mountains. Cluster analysis demonstrated the Raft River Mountain stonefly assemblage to be most similar to faunas of the Sawtooth and Wasatch mountains, and quite different from that of the Sierra Nevada. An analysis of the distribution patterns of each species, on a family-by-family basis, showed that the Raft River Mountains fauna consists mostly of species widespread in western North America. Most families were represented by at least 1 species whose distribution supports faunal affinities with regions to the north and west. Logistic regression of 6 long-distance dispersal factors against stonefly presence-absence data did not support long-distance dispersal as a viable means of colonization for the Raft River Mountains. This suggests that stonefly distribution patterns may be attributed to expansion and subsequent vicariance of suitable stonefly habitats during Pleistocene climatic oscillations.
Recommended Citation
Houseman, Richard M. and Baumann, Richard W.
(1997)
"Zoogeographic affinities of the stoneflies (Plecoptera) of the Raft River Mountains, Utah,"
Great Basin Naturalist: Vol. 57:
No.
3, Article 3.
Available at:
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/gbn/vol57/iss3/3