Freshwater invertebrate fauna of the Lake Meston area

Abstract

Collections of littoral invertebrates were made from 21 freshwater bodies in the Lake Meston area of the western Central Plateau. Seventy-three taxa, including 42 identified as species, were collected. The fauna is similar to that found in other high-altitude lakes in Tasmania. A cluster analysis of sites by the presence or absence of species classified the standing waters into groups which could be explained by size and their species richness, apart from Lake Bill, probably the only lake of non-glacial origin, which did not associate with lakes of similar size. No correlations could be detected between the groupings and topographic descriptors of the lakes derived from maps. The named lakes in order of species richness were Meston (29 species), Adelaide & Louisa (23), Poa (19), Myrtle (IS), Bill (II) and Charles (7). Lake Meston is apparently the only lake in the area to support a substantial trout population