How many species of Cladocera are there?

✍ Scribed by N. M. Korovchinsky

• Publisher: Springer
• Year: 1996
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 831 KB
• Volume: 321
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1573-5141
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00143750

✦ Synopsis

An estimation of the number of taxa within families, genera and local faunas of Cladocera reveals that only c . 129 species (17% of all known species) may be considered as sufficiently well described (valid species), and c . 146 as rather well described (fair species) but needing further study using modern methods of investigation . The status of all other species is vague . The families Chydoridae, Daphniidae and Sididae and genera Diaphanosoma, Daphnia, (including Daphniopsis), Megafenestra, Scapholeberis, Eurycercus, Chydorus, Ephemeroporus and Pleuroxus have been comparatively studied best . The largest number of valid species is known from Europe, North America, Australia and South America, and the smallest number from Africa . Presence of large number of vague species of Cladocera negatively affects faunistic, zoogeographic, and ecological studies of continental waters .