Abstract
Background: To date, only scarce information is available about the diaptomid copepods of the Middle East
despite the ecological and biogeographical importance of the family Diaptomidae in the inland waters of the
Holarctic region. Moreover, the taxonomic status of some of the taxa occurring in the area is in need of revision.
We studied crustaceans collected from temporary and permanent lentic water bodies in Israel with the aim of
providing an updated census of the diaptomid copepods occurring in the country. Furthermore, we morphologically
and genetically analysed samples of Arctodiaptomus similis s.l. to shed light on its taxonomy.
Results: Five diaptomid taxa were collected during this survey. Among these, Phyllodiaptomus blanci is new for the
country and the whole circum-Mediterranean area and might be an allochthonous species of eastern origin. Within
the collected samples, we singled out two parapatric groups of populations within A. similis s.l.; these consistently
differ both based on morphology (chaetotaxy of the left male antennule) and molecular data (divergence over 17% at
the mitochondrial gene for the cytochrome b). We thus attribute the full species rank to Arctodiaptomus irregularis
Dimentman & Por, 1985 stat. rev., originally described as a subspecies of the widespread species Arctodiaptomus
similis (Baird, 1859).
Conclusions: We critically evaluated all species hitherto reported for Israeli inland waters. Considering both the
confirmed literature data and the new findings, Israeli diaptomid fauna is composed of at least seven species.
However, the need for further surveys in the Middle East and for detailed systematic revisions of some
controversial taxa is stressed. Our results on the systematics of A. similis s.l. illustrate the importance of
implementing molecular analyses when investigating diversity patterns of groups which are difficult to resolve
based on morphology alone.
Lingua originale | English |
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pagine (da-a) | 1-11 |
Numero di pagine | 11 |
Rivista | Zoological Studies |
Volume | 53 |
Stato di pubblicazione | Published - 2014 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Animal Science and Zoology