CLASSIFICATION SCHEME 2008
For a detailed classification see the text (Aquatic Invertebrates of Alberta) and the Excel file provided to you. This is simply an overview and is similar to what you will take with you during the lab exam.
Phylum Porifera
Class Demospongiae
Family Spongillidae: Ephydatia, Eunapius, Spongilla
Phylum Cnidaria
Class Hydrozoa: Hydra, Chlorohydra
Phylum Platyhelminthes
Class Turbellaria
"microturbellarian' orders
Order Tricladida: Dugesia, Polycelis
Phylum Nemertea
Phylum Nematoda
Phylum Nematomorpha
Phylum Rotifera
Class Bdelloidea
Class Monogononta
Phylum Gastrotricha
Phylum Ectoprocta (a.k.a. Bryozoa)
Class Phylactolaemata: Cristatella, Fredericella, Plumatella
Phylum Annelida
Class Clitellata
 Subclass Oligochaeta
Families: Aeolosomatidae, Naididae, Lumbriculidae, Tubificidae, Enchytraeidae
 Subclass? Branchiobdellida
Subclass Hirudinea
Order Rhynchobdellida
      Families: Glossiphoniidae, Piscicolidae
Order Gnathobdellida
Family: Hirudinidae
Order Pharyngobdellida
Family: Erpobdellidae
Phylum Mollusca
Class Gastropoda
Subclass Prosobranchia
Families: Valvatidae, Hydrobiidae
Subclass Pulmonata
Families: Acroloxidae; Ancylidae, Physidae, Lymnaeidae, Planorbidae
Class Pelecypoda (= Bivalvia)
Families: Unionidae, Sphaeriidae
Phylum Tardigrada
Phylum Arthropoda
Class Arachnida
        Order Acarina
          Subcohort Hydrachnidia:
Families: Stygothrombidiidae, Hydrovolziidae, Limnocharidae, Eylaidae, Hydrachnidae, Hydryphantidae, Hydrodromidae, Sperchontidae, Teutoniidae, Lebertiidae, Oxidae, Torrenticolidae, Limnesiidae, Hygrobatidae, Feltriidae, Unionicolidae, Wettinidae, Pionidae, Aturidae, Mideidae, Mideopsidae, Arrenuridae
      Cohort Eupodina: Halacaridae
      Suborder Oribatida: Hydrozetidae
      Order Araneae
Family Pisauridae: Dolomedes
Family Lycosidae: Pirata
 Subphylum Crustacea
Class Branchiopoda
Orders: Anostraca, Notostraca, Conchostraca
Order: Cladocera
Families: Bosminidae, Chydoridae, Daphniidae, Holopediidae, Leptodoridae, Macrothricidae, Moinidae, Polyphemidae, Sididae
Class Maxillopoda
 Subclass Copepoda
Orders: Calanoida, Cyclopoida, Harpacticoida
 Subclass: Ostracoda
 Subclass Branchiura: Argulus
Class Malacostraca
Superorder Peracarida
Order Mysidacea: Mysis relicta
Order Amphipoda: Gammarus lacustris, Hyalella azteca
Order Isopoda
Superorder Eucarida
Order Decapoda: Orconectes virilis
Superclass Hexapoda
Class (and Order) Collembola
Class Insecta
 Order Ephemeroptera
Families: Ametropodidae, Baetidae, Baetiscidae, Caenidae, Ephemerellidae, Ephemeridae, Heptageniidae, Leptophlebiidae, Metretopodidae, Oligoneuriidae, Polymitarcyidae, Siphlonuridae, Tricorythidae
 Order Odonata
   Suborder Anisoptera
Families: Aeshnidae, Corduliidae, Gomphidae, Libellulidae
Suborder Zygoptera
Families: Calopterygidae, Coenagrionidae, Lestidae
 Order Plecoptera
Families: Capniidae, Chloroperlidae, Leuctridae, Nemouridae, Peltoperlidae, Perlidae, Perlodidae, Pteronarcyidae, Taeniopterygidae
 Order Hemiptera
Families: Belostomatidae, Corixidae, Gerridae, Hebridae, Mesoveliidae, Notonectidae, Saldidae, Veliidae, Nepidae
 Order Megaloptera
Family: Sialidae
 Order Neuroptera
Family: Sisyridae
 Order Lepidoptera
Families: Pyralidae, Noctuidae

 Order Trichoptera
Families: Brachycentridae, Glossosomatidae, Helicopsychidae, Hydropsychidae, Hydroptilidae, Lepidostomatidae, Leptoceridae, Limnephilidae, Molannidae, Philopotamidae, Phryganeidae, Polycentropodidae, Psychomyiidae, Rhyacophilidae, Uenoidae
 Order Coleoptera
Families: Amphizoidae, Chrysomelidae, Curculionidae, Dryopidae, Dytiscidae, Elmidae, Gyrinidae, Haliplidae, Hydraenidae, Hydrophilidae, Lampyridae, Limnichidae, Scirtidae
 Order Diptera
Suborder Nematocera
Families: Blephariceridae, Ceratopogonidae, Chaoboridae, Chironomidae, Culicidae, Deuterophlebiidae, Dixidae, Psychodidae, Ptychopteridae, Simuliidae, Tanyderidae, Thaumaleidae, Tipulidae
Suborder Brachycera
Families: Anthomyiidae, Athericidae, Dolichopodidae, Empididae, Ephydridae, Sciomyzidae, Stratiomyidae, Syrphidae, Tabanidae

COMMENTS ON PREPARATION OF THE COLLECTION FOR SUBMISSION
More details will be provided closer to the time of submission, but here is some general advice.
Points
Refer to the Excel file “Collection Matrix”. You receive points for any given taxon only once. For example, if you collect a bryozoan and identify it to the phylum Ectoprocta, you receive 20 points. If you also identify the specimen to genus, e.g. Plumatella, you receive 10 additional points, total = 20+10 = 30. Now, if you collect another bryozoan, you receive no points for the phylum. However, if the specimen is Cristatella, you receive 10 points for it being a different genus.
Although you won’t have points deducted for wrong identifications, don't guess randomly. Your instructor will grow cranky if there are too many obvious guesses.
Collections must be neat and well-organized.
1. It takes a surprisingly long time to get the collection in final form to be handed in. Please allot at least a half day or more for this task.
2. Use appropriate size vials for most invertebrates. Very small invertebrates, e.g. rotifers, tardigrades, nematodes, cladocerans, and some others, should be on slides. The location of the specimen/s on the slide should be circled with a felt pen beneath the slide.
3. Each vial and slide should have a number. Number the specimens roughly in the order in which major taxa occur in the classification scheme (e.g. a sponge should have a lower number than an ostracod). Do not use a specific number more than once. If a specimen is partly in a vial and partly on a slide (e.g., if you mounted one palp of a water mite but kept the rest of the animal in a vial) label the two parts with the same number but with ‘a’ and ‘b’ (e.g. 35a and 35b). The number on the vial should be on the vial's cap or stopper as well as on the label inside the vial. Each vial should be at least ¾ full of preservative. About 80% ethanol is a good final preservative.
4. Inside the vial should be the specimen(s) and a paper label with the following information in India ink or pencil (not in pen, as the ink will dissolve): (i) the vial number; (ii) the most definitive taxonomic level that you expect to receive points for, (iii) location; (iv) date collected; (v) your last name and first initial. Don't give a complete classification of the specimen on the label in the vial.  Here is an example:
#23 Leptophlebiidae
Bigoray River, AB
2 Oct 04/H. Proctor
If you were not the collector of the specimen, you must indicate this on the label using “coll.” for the name of the original collector, and “det.” for you, the determiner of the specimens identity.
5. Accompanying the collection should be a hardcopy and an electronic list of taxa in the collection.  You will use the Excel file “Collection Matrix” for this.
6. When the vials are arranged in the boxes that will be handed in, have the vials in numerical order and make sure that a particular sequence of numbers follows the arrangement of taxa in the Excel spreadsheet, e.g., numbers for Ephemeroptera should precede those for Plecoptera, etc. Failure to do this may result in specimens being missed during marking.
7. Slides should be in a slide box. Again, keep slides in order by numbers. Do not pile slides on top of one another. Even this slight pressure can crush the specimen; also the pressure can force the mounting medium from beneath the cover slip, and the slides will stick together.  In your Excel spreadsheet and printout, indicate which samples are on slides by adding ‘S’ to the end of the number (e.g. 15S, 36aS).
Finally - no grades will be officially assigned until all gear signed out has been returned. This includes laboratory key, microscope key, nets, waders, etc.

Appendix 1 - Scatter plot correlation of collection points and final exam mark(data from 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006)

Appendix 2 – Ranges of collection points among years.
 

Appendix 3: CHANGES TO AQUATIC INVERTEBRATES OF ALBERTA
P. 69, lower right figure.  According to Matthew Boeckner (pers. comm. 2003), this tardigrade is Milnesium tardigradum, not Macrobiotus sp.
P. 103, list of Unionidae. there have been several taxonomic changes since 1991.  Change Anodonta grandis to Pyganodon grandis, and Lampsilis radiata siliquoidea to Lampsilis siliquoidea.  Add Anodontoides ferusaccianus (Lea) as potentially present in Alberta; as of 2003, this species has been recorded only from one poorly documented collection in the Lac la Biche area.
P. 123. 1st paragraph. the taxonomic level of Hydrachnidia is a difficult point.  Water mites are a group of several superfamilies that fall within the Cohort Parasitengona (‘cohort’ is a level below suborder).  Some call the Hydrachnidia a ‘phalanx’, but ‘subcohort Hydrachnidia’ is perhaps a better term.
P. 181. 4th paragraph. Pacifastacus gambelii should be Fig. 30.1D and Procambarus spiculifera should be Figure 30.1E on page 183; therefore Figure 30.1 caption (page 183) should read "D. Pacifastacus gambelii" and "E.Procambarus spiculifera".
P. 338. Pictorial Key. "see Limnephilidae (F)" should be 'see Limnephilidae (G)', and "see Limnephilidae (G)" should be 'see Liminephilidae (F)'.
Limnichids apparently have not been recorded from Alberta (as yet), therefore the following corrections:
P. 187. Delete Limnichidae - marsh-loving beetles
P. 353. Delete ", and Limnichus (Limnichidae), in which adults are probably semiterrestrial and the habitat of the larvae is unknown."
P. 354. Delete Family Limnichidae - marsh-loving beetles
P. 360, 2nd paragraph. Add "Limnichidae has not been recorded from Alberta, although one species has been collected in Saskatchewan."
P. 367,  last couplet.  First characters should be switched, i.e. for Oreodytes should read “Femur of hind leg with only a median row of puntures” and for Potamonectes should read “Femur of hind leg with many small punctures on entire surface.” Descriptions of pronotum are correct.
P. 383. Plate 41.5 Caption should read "Limnebius alutaceus [Hydraenidae]" not Limnichus alutaceus [Limnichidae].
P. 532. Delete "Limnichidae p. 187, 353, 354, 360", "Limnebius p.353", "Limnichus altuaceus
P.360" Delete "Limnichus alutaceus adult p.383".
P... 532. Delete "Marsh-loving beetles 187, 354, 360".
Molannodes tinctus also has not been found in Alberta (as yet) as stated on pages 318 and 327. It is found in Alaska and Yukon, central Saskatchewan and northern Ontario, but has been collected very rarely south of 60°N (3 specimens).

Some typos:
P. 49. (Pictorial key). Cephalobdella to Cephalodella
P. 51. (Pictorial key). Bdelloida to Bdelloidea
P. 54. (Figure caption). Monogonata to Mongononta
P. 81. (Pictorial key). Batracobdella to Batrachobdella
P. 87. (Figure 14.1). pneumosome to pneumostome
P. 92. Order Prosobranchia to Subclass Prosobranchia
P. 130. (Pictorial key). Clelomideopsis to Chelomideopsis
149ff. All references of Daphnidae to Daphniidae
P. 150. Second line, last paragraph. daphnia to Daphnia
P. 153. Holopedidae to Holopediidae
P. 154. Survey of References. Delete "Bartaon (1980)"
P. 158. Holopedidae to Holopediidae
P. 169. Cypridae to Cyprididae
P. 170. (Pictorial Key). Cypridae to Cyprididae
P. 193. 2nd last paragraph. Siplonuridae to Siphlonuridae
P. 195. Family Ephemerellidae. Attenuatella to Attenella
P. 198.(Pictorial Key). Forleg to Foreleg
P. 200. (Pictorial Key). Bottom right couplet (Heptagenia): change “gill 2” to “gill 1”
P. 229.(Pictorial Key). Bottom left couplet (Ischnura). "stongly" to "strongly"
P. 249. Family Chloroperlidae. Hastaperla to Haploperla
P. 256. Diura couplet. stipes to stripes
P. 276. Corixidae, 1st paragraph, 2nd last line. Arctocorixa to Arctocorisa
P. 313. Figure caption. Paraponyx to Parapoynx
P. 321. Philopotomidae, 2nd last line. labium to labrum
P. 322. Uenoidae, 10th line. Oligophleboides to Oligophlebodes
P. 331. Pictorial key, Trianenodes couplet. "distincitive" to "distinctive"
P. 334. Pictorial key, introduction. "last page of Limnephilidae key" to "pages 319, 320"
P. 335. Pictorial key. Oligophleboides to Oligophlebodes
P. 336. Pictorial key, 1st couplet. "femurs" to "femora"
P. 336. Pictorial key, 1st couplet. "methathoracic" to " metathoracic"
P. 336. Pictorial key, middle couplet. "Stenophylacinae" to "Stenophylacini"
P. 372. Pictorial key, last couplet. "Cercie with numberous" to "Cerci with numerous"
P. 391. Life Cycle, 3rd line. "Four of five larval..." to “Four or five larval...”
P. 392. Meigen's Names, second line, nenteenth to nineteenth
P. 400. Ptychopteridae, 4th line. "same habitat as the adult..." to "same habitat as the larva..."
P. 425. (Habitus drawing). craneflies to crane flies
P. 429. (Habitus drawing). craneflies to crane flies
P. 443. (Pictorial Key).Chironomidge - midge to Chironomidae – midges
P. 480. Aiken & Leggett, 1984. "Entomology News" to "Entomological News"
P. 485. Bousefield to Bousfield
P. 507. Matthey, 1976a, title should read: "Observations sur l'écologie de Gerris remigis Say (Heteroptera): durée du développment larvaire et colonisation de différents types d'etangs das les Montagnes Rocheusses canadiennes."
P. 507. Matthey, 1976b, titles should read: "Etude des factueurs de mortalité dans une population de Gerris remigis Say (Heteroptera)."
P. 523. Whiting & Lehmkuhl, 1987a. Aconthola to Acanthomola
P. 526. (Index). Delete "Attenuatella 195"
P. 528. (Index). Daphnidae to Daphniidae
P. 530. (Index). Hastaperla to Haploperla
P. 530. (Index). Holopedidae to Holopediidae
P. 536. (Index). Delete "Stenophylacinae 336, 337"
P. 536 (Index). Stenophylacini 337 to Stenophylacini 336, 337

NOTE: if you find any other errors or typos, please let your instructor know.

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