Abstract: The zoobenthos found in 26 waters with salinity varying from 0.58- 16.30 and pH from 8.46- 10.10,in Shanxi Province,Hebei Province,Ningxia Huizu and mner Mon-golia, China, were investigated during 1975- 1994. Among all of samples,103 species of
Annelida, Mollusca, and Aquatic insects were recorded, of which 48 species belonged to Chironomidae larvai, others to Ceralopogonidae larvai, Tubificidae, Lymnaeidae,Planor-bidae,Caenagrionidae,Corduliidae,Corixidae,Hydrophilidae and Chrysomelidae.As identify-ing results, dominant population of zoobenthos was chironomidae larva in all of these waters, the highest rate of occurrence were Procladius meigen and Chironomus plumosus Linne, both being 30.8%; the others such asHydrophilidae larva and Tubificidae were 23.1%.Al-kalinity, salinity and hardness were major factors influencing the quantity distribution of species by means of principal component analysis, and the regression analysis indicated that there was significantly negative correlation of alkalinity with the fauna of zoobenthos ranging in salinity from 0.58- 16.30(R2= - 0.342,n= 26,P< 0.05). The relationship befmeen the species composition,salinity tolerance and quantity distribution of zoobenthoswith salini-ty, alkalinity, pH, and hardness in inland saline waters were discussed.
2002, Vol. 17 
