The Aquatic Fauna of Two Intermittent Streams in the Southwestern Peninsula, Trinidad

Abstract

Local interest in freshwater ecology has not been very well developed in the past, possibly because of difficulties in identification of many of the groups of organisms. This stems from a lack of identification keys relevant to the island as well as the scattered nature of the primary literature. Recently however, studies have been initiated at the Zoology Department, U.W.I., St. Augustine aided by the availability of guides to the taxonomic literature for the aquatic fauna of the region (Hurlbert et al 1981, Hurlbert & Villalobos 1982) and collaboration with taxonomic specialists abroad. This has led to the development of local taxonomic guides, for example Michalski (1988) and Nieser & Alkins-Koo (in prep).