The use of bioindicators requires environmental information and a detailed knowledge of the biota to which it is assign a sensitivity value. The objective of this work was assessing the sensitivity of chironomids to several water quality variables. We used multivariate analysis and occupancy modelling to understand the relationship between abundance and occupancy of chironomid taxa and water quality. The study was performance in 43 sites of eight Pampean streams of Argentina during the fall in 2012 and 2015. We determined the association between 21 taxa of the chironomid assemblage and five variables of water quality (i.e., conductivity, dissolved oxygen, 5-days biochemical oxygen demand, concentrations of phosphate and dissolved inorganic nitrogen). We identified taxa associated to low water quality (e.g., Chironomus calligraphus) and high-water quality (e.g., Rheotanytarsus). In some chironomid taxa their potential as bioindicator increased as the taxonomic level decreased (e.g. Chironominae). However, in other taxa this potential as bioindicator of water quality remains at subfamily level (e.g. Orthocladiinae). The occupancy of Parachironomus sp. and Chironomus calligraphus increased in the sites with the lowest concentration of dissolved oxygen, while Rheotanytarsus sp. and Onconeura analiae behaved in an inverse way. C. calligraphus and O. analiae occupied sites with high values of both, conductivity and 5-days biochemical oxygen demand. C. calligraphus was the single species showing a positive relationship between its occupancy and concentration of phosphate. The occupancy of Allocladius neobilobulatus and Cricotopus sp. were negatively related to the increase of the concentration of nutrients. The description of species sensitivity in terms of occupancy, offers a new methodology to understand how species shows a pattern along abiotic gradient. Further studies about sensitive of local chironomid species to different types of stressors will allow researchers to generate more accurate biotic indices based on these taxa. The water quality of lowland streams would be inferred from the occupancy of chironomid taxa.

使用生物指示剂需要环境信息和对其分配敏感度值的生物群的详细了解。这项工作的目的是评估手虫对几种水质变量的敏感性。我们使用多元分析和占用模型，以了解手足类群的丰富度和占有率与水质之间的关系。这项研究是在2012年和2015年秋季在阿根廷的8条潘邦山脉溪流的43个地点进行的。我们确定了21种手性类群与水质的五个变量（即电导率，溶解氧，5天生化）之间的关联氧气需求量，磷酸盐浓度和溶解的无机氮）。我们确定了与水质低下有关的分类单元（例如，Chironomus calligraphus）和高水质（例如Rheotanytarsus）。在某些手足类生物分类中，其作为生物指示剂的潜力随着生物分类水平的降低而增加（例如，手足类）。但是，在其他类群中，作为水质生物指标的这种潜力仍处于亚科水平（例如，邻生di科）。占副伞菌属。在溶解氧浓度最低的地方，书法和Chironomus书法增加，而Rheotanytarsus sp。而Onconeura analiae则表现出相反的行为。C. Calligraphus和O. analiae占据着电导率和5天生化需氧量都很高的位置。书法梭菌是显示其占有率与磷酸盐浓度之间呈正相关的单一物种。占用Allocladius neobilobulatus和Cricotopus sp.。与养分浓度的增加负相关。对物种敏感性的占用率描述提供了一种新的方法，可以了解物种如何沿非生物梯度显示模式。进一步的研究有关当地手足类物种对不同类型的应激源的敏感性，将使研究人员能够基于这些分类单元产生更准确的生物指数。低地河流的水质可从手足类群的占有率中推断出来。