"2020"^^ . . . "The Mediterranean ecosystem of continental France extends from the Spanish to the Italian boarder and covers more than 70 river basins and large coastal wetlands including estuaries, marine littoral zones, ponds, pools and lagoons. Three large biogeographic areas (I, II and III) are delimited from the south western to the south eastern boarder of France. Main geological structures of the three biogeographic areas are: I and III, siliceous and karstic; II, sedimentary and karstic. Six additional biogeographic zones are extended along the three previously cited areas: 8a and 8b are delimited by area I; 9a and 9b, by area II; 10a and 10b by area III. Intensive investigations generated five communities of aquatic invertebrates including in particular those of Diptera Chironomidae, which are typically representative of five ecological zones. Lists of aquatic invertebrates were compiled based on material collected at spring, summer and autumn periods between 1975 and 1981, and from 1984 to 2019. A first list of 667 chironomid species, including 140 genera and 8 subfamilies is updated from the Mediterranean coastal ecosystem of continental France, which complements previous data for the chironomid fauna of continental France. Among the listed species there are 45 undescribed species (6.7%) including 30 Orthocladiinae, and 11 new records for France including 2 Podonominae, 6 Orthocladiinae and 3 Chironominae. The highest ratio by subfamily of recorded genera and species shows two predominant and well-diversified subfamilies: Orthocladiinae, 57 genera, 320 species (47.0%); Chironominae, 45, 255 (38.2%). Tanypodinae and Diamesinae (much less-diversified) are respectively represented by 55 (8.2%) and 28 species (4.2%). Highest value of specific richness is recorded in the following three ecological zones: 3, 397 species; 4, 407; 5, 320. Number of species recorded in the three biogeographical areas is: area I, 528 species; II, 431; III, 475. Higher specific richness reported in both western and eastern areas highlights the complexity and variety of their mountain range with respect to typology, hydrography, geology and physiography including: rhithral with deep and sinuous gorges, moderate Mediterranean climate, short travel distance separating the upper basin from the coastline, presence of both karstic and siliceous streams). Faunal assessment including results obtained over the last four decades enabled a comparative analysis of each of the various communities to be done and shows a decrease in the number of genera and species in each of the five ecological zones. Specific results are: total number of detected species, 495 (74.2%); threatened species, 293 (43.9%); not detected species, 172 (25.8%); new records for France, 11 species; undescribed species, 43 (6.4%). Highest ratio by subfamily of threatened and undetected species is: Tanypodinae (respectively 26 threatened and 18 undetected); Diamesinae (11 and 14); Orthocladiinae (149 and 83); Chironominae (103 and 53). Ratio by ecological zone of threatened and undetected species is: zone 1 (2 threatened, and 5 undetected); zone 2 (52 and 21); zone 3 (99 and 70); zone 4 (178 and 84); zone 5 (144 and 86). Not detected species mainly belong, as well, to threatened or not detected genera, which are mostly confined to habitats located at high altitude (especially glacial springs and streams). Lowest number of threatened and not detected species is encountered where wetlands areas are protected and well-preserved by local authorities (National and Regional parks, Nature reserves). Wetland areas, lotic and lentic habitats located at high altitude, harbour wildlife potential, highly genetic lineage and represent hotspots of global significance. Their communities include orophilic, stenothermic and crenobiontic species composed in general of endemics and glacial relict species confined in particular to cold mountain springs, peat bogs lakes and the uppermost sections of streams. This highlights the importance of some Mediterranean mountain range in the preservation of autochtonous populations, which belong to atypical communities throughout the regional Mediterranean ecosystem of France. Such biological indicator species are considered as potentially biogeographic representative and their loss would be clearly indicative of a combination of anthropogenic impacts and global warming in this geographical region. The most affected habitats are located along the estuarine zone and littoral coastline including coastal springs and streams, which have been degraded or totally transformed into 'marinas'. Impacts due to various perturbation factors (ecotourism, camping, canyoning, skying, urbanism, natural and accidental flooding, modification of habitats, sea-leve rise, etc.) on the overall quality of water and sediment is confirmed in the coastal wetlands, which are strongly impacted by exposure to toxic chemical pollutants including heavy metals and pesticides (PCBs, PAHs, Bti, etc.). In some degraded river basins (Massane, Baillaurie, Libron, Madelaine, Vidourle, Gapeau, Argens, Loup), the species richness of chironomid communities is estimated to have become impoverished by 30 to 75% during the last four decades." . "Moubayed-Breil (2020)" . "2020"^^ . "Moubayed-Breil, J. 2020. Chironomidae de l\u2019\u00E9cosyst\u00E8me m\u00E9diterran\u00E9en de France continentale sensu lato. Donn\u00E9es faunistiques et biog\u00E9ographiques sur les quatre derni\u00E8res d\u00E9cennies [Diptera]. Ephemera, 21 (1): 31-69." . "Moubayed-Breil (2020)" . . "The Mediterranean ecosystem of continental France extends from the Spanish to the Italian boarder and covers more than 70 river basins and large coastal wetlands including estuaries, marine littoral zones, ponds, pools and lagoons. Three large biogeographic areas (I, II and III) are delimited from the south western to the south eastern boarder of France. Main geological structures of the three biogeographic areas are: I and III, siliceous and karstic; II, sedimentary and karstic. Six additional biogeographic zones are extended along the three previously cited areas: 8a and 8b are delimited by area I; 9a and 9b, by area II; 10a and 10b by area III. Intensive investigations generated five communities of aquatic invertebrates including in particular those of Diptera Chironomidae, which are typically representative of five ecological zones. Lists of aquatic invertebrates were compiled based on material collected at spring, summer and autumn periods between 1975 and 1981, and from 1984 to 2019. A first list of 667 chironomid species, including 140 genera and 8 subfamilies is updated from the Mediterranean coastal ecosystem of continental France, which complements previous data for the chironomid fauna of continental France. Among the listed species there are 45 undescribed species (6.7%) including 30 Orthocladiinae, and 11 new records for France including 2 Podonominae, 6 Orthocladiinae and 3 Chironominae. The highest ratio by subfamily of recorded genera and species shows two predominant and well-diversified subfamilies: Orthocladiinae, 57 genera, 320 species (47.0%); Chironominae, 45, 255 (38.2%). Tanypodinae and Diamesinae (much less-diversified) are respectively represented by 55 (8.2%) and 28 species (4.2%). Highest value of specific richness is recorded in the following three ecological zones: 3, 397 species; 4, 407; 5, 320. Number of species recorded in the three biogeographical areas is: area I, 528 species; II, 431; III, 475. Higher specific richness reported in both western and eastern areas highlights the complexity and variety of their mountain range with respect to typology, hydrography, geology and physiography including: rhithral with deep and sinuous gorges, moderate Mediterranean climate, short travel distance separating the upper basin from the coastline, presence of both karstic and siliceous streams). Faunal assessment including results obtained over the last four decades enabled a comparative analysis of each of the various communities to be done and shows a decrease in the number of genera and species in each of the five ecological zones. Specific results are: total number of detected species, 495 (74.2%); threatened species, 293 (43.9%); not detected species, 172 (25.8%); new records for France, 11 species; undescribed species, 43 (6.4%). Highest ratio by subfamily of threatened and undetected species is: Tanypodinae (respectively 26 threatened and 18 undetected); Diamesinae (11 and 14); Orthocladiinae (149 and 83); Chironominae (103 and 53). Ratio by ecological zone of threatened and undetected species is: zone 1 (2 threatened, and 5 undetected); zone 2 (52 and 21); zone 3 (99 and 70); zone 4 (178 and 84); zone 5 (144 and 86). Not detected species mainly belong, as well, to threatened or not detected genera, which are mostly confined to habitats located at high altitude (especially glacial springs and streams). Lowest number of threatened and not detected species is encountered where wetlands areas are protected and well-preserved by local authorities (National and Regional parks, Nature reserves). Wetland areas, lotic and lentic habitats located at high altitude, harbour wildlife potential, highly genetic lineage and represent hotspots of global significance. Their communities include orophilic, stenothermic and crenobiontic species composed in general of endemics and glacial relict species confined in particular to cold mountain springs, peat bogs lakes and the uppermost sections of streams. This highlights the importance of some Mediterranean mountain range in the preservation of autochtonous populations, which belong to atypical communities throughout the regional Mediterranean ecosystem of France. Such biological indicator species are considered as potentially biogeographic representative and their loss would be clearly indicative of a combination of anthropogenic impacts and global warming in this geographical region. The most affected habitats are located along the estuarine zone and littoral coastline including coastal springs and streams, which have been degraded or totally transformed into 'marinas'. Impacts due to various perturbation factors (ecotourism, camping, canyoning, skying, urbanism, natural and accidental flooding, modification of habitats, sea-leve rise, etc.) on the overall quality of water and sediment is confirmed in the coastal wetlands, which are strongly impacted by exposure to toxic chemical pollutants including heavy metals and pesticides (PCBs, PAHs, Bti, etc.). In some degraded river basins (Massane, Baillaurie, Libron, Madelaine, Vidourle, Gapeau, Argens, Loup), the species richness of chironomid communities is estimated to have become impoverished by 30 to 75% during the last four decades." .