New Records of Cladocera ( Crustacea : Anomopoda ) from Laguna

Zooplankton plays key roles in structuring interactions in aquatic communities but often remain undescribed in many water systems. This paper reports seventeen species of the Cladocera (Crustacea: Branchiopoda) from Laguna de Navío Quebrado, all of them new records for La Guajira Department, Colombia. The Cladocera assemblages include mostly the Neotropical taxa associated with vegetation. This paper also serves as the first compilation of the data on the Cladocera of this region and includes brief remarks, descriptions and illustrations of some species with additional notes on their distribution.


INTRODUCTION
Cladocerans are aquatic branchiopod microcrustaceans that show a considerable range in size (0.2 -6 mm, and even 1.8 cm in case of the genus Leptododa Lilljeborg, 1861).They inhabit pelagic, littoral and benthic zone, and most of them prefer freshwater bodies.At present, 620 species of Cladocera are recognized as valid in the world fauna (Forró et al., 2008).They belong to four orders: Anomopoda, Ctenopoda, Onychopoda, and Haplopoda (Frey, 1987).
and appropriate illustrations of some remarkable taxa, and improve our knowledge on the distribution of some cladoceran species in Colombia.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
I studied 108 samples collected of the North coast of Laguna Navío Quebrado, adjacent to Camarón river, Guajira Department (11º 25'N and 73º 5'W).The samples were taken monthly, from April to December 2012, in the littoral zone (covered by macrophytes) and pelagic zones in regions of oyster banks.Water salinity ranged from 0 to 28 PSU.Water samples were collected using a bucket of 25 L in both vegetation areas and open water, then filtered through a plankton net (45 μm), and the filtered contents preserved in 70% ethanol.Samples were sorted under a dissective stereomicroscope Urano 40X.Specimens were placed to glycerol drops on slides, studied in toto and then some of them were dissected for study of fine morphological details.Dissected specimens and appendages were mounted in glycerine and sealed with Canada balsam.The mounted specimens and their body parts were photographed using a Kodak Easy Share C140 digital camera adapted to a compound microscope Olympus CX22.
Specimens were deposited at the Museo de Colecciones Biológicas de la Universidad del Atlántico -Colombia (UARC).The following abbreviation are used in the text: IDL (inner distal lobe of limb I), ODL (outer distal lobe of limb I); PP (postpore distance), IP (interpore distance).
Material examined: 2 adult females, catalog number: UARC129M.Remarks: This species was the least abundant within the Macrothrix genus and was found in October.It is valid species described from Australia (King, 1853), very common in tropics (Smirnov, 1976) (Smirnov, 1971) described from Brazil (Bergamin, 1939).
Material examined: 15 adult females, catalog number: UARC120M.Remarks: It was a common species in many samples, collected in April, May, June, July and November.The species was described from Haiti as Alona davidi by Richard (1895) and then transferred to the genus Leberis (Sinev et al., 2005).It is a Neotropical taxon (Kotov and Ferrari, 2010) (1915).This species is very common in the subtropics and tropics.E. orientalis could be a species complex and needs to be revised worldwide (Kotov et al., 2013;Van Damme and Maiphae, 2013).
Material examined: 15 adult females, catalog number: UARC126M.Remarks: It was rare within macrophyte and found only in July.N. sculpta was described from Brazil (Sars, 1901) as Alonella and then translocated to Notoalona (Rajapaksa and Fernando, 1987).This is a Neotropical species, which needs to be re-studied again after a significant increasing of level of morphological analysis during last two decades.

Chydorus eurynotus
Material examined: 4 adult females, catalog number: UARC130M.Remarks: It was scarce within macrophytes and found only in September.This species was described from Brazil (Sars, 1901), but found worldwide in tropical and subtropical regions (Smirnov, 1971(Smirnov, , 1996)).This species group needs to be revised worldwide.(Sars, 1901) Material examined: 2 adult females, catalog number: UARC132M.Remarks: It was scarce within macrophytes and found only in July.Valid species described form Brazil (Sars, 1901), then similar populations were found in other tropical regions.According to Kotov et al. (2013), this species needs to be revised worldwide.Probably C. pubescens is exclusively Neotropical species.

Genus Anthalona Van Damme, Sinev et
Dumont, 2011 Anthalona verrucosa (Sars, 1901) (Fig. 1A-F Material examined: 25 adult females, catalog number: UARC121M.Anthalona verrucosa is characterized by an ovoid body and an especially small size, 0.25-0.28mm (Fig. 1A).Head shield with a well developed, but obtuse rostrum (Fig. 1B), two head pores (Fig. 1C), quadrangular labrum with a small denticle in anterior part (Fig. 1D); short and wide postabdomen with welldeveloped lateral fascicles of setae and short marginal denticles (Fig. 1E).Antennal formula for setae 0-0-3/1-3-3; The IDL of limb I with two setae bearing well-developed denticles, and the ODL with a single large seta, IDL with two hooked setae (Fig. 1F).Remarks: It was one of the most common species associated to macrophytes, collected from June-December.Anthalona verrucosa was described from São Paulo, Brazil (Sars, 1901) as Alona, and have been reported in South America, Africa and Eurasia (Smirnov, 1971;Alonso, 1996).However the true verrucosa is likely limited to Neotropics (Van Damme et al., 2011).This is the first documented record with illustrations confirming its presence in Colombia.Earlier it was simply reported for Bolivar department (Álvarez, 2010).
Genus Alona Baird, 1843 Alona glabra Sars, 1901 (Fig. 2A-F) Syn: Kotov et al., 2010:33.Material examined: 30 adult females and 20 adult males, catalog number: UARC117M.The body of A. glabra is ovoid, size ranging from 0.38-0.42mm (Fig. 2A); the taxon is different from closest Alona cambouei in three interconnected head pores (Fig. 2B) and from Alona pulchella in small PP/IP ratio.In this case, the postabdomen is short, with small distal denticles decreasing in size proximally (Fig. 2D).Male.Habitus similar to female (not illustrated), body range length 0.28-0.29 mm; postabdomen short, round-quadrangular, postabdominal claw shorter than in female and possessing a basal spine a little longer than in female, about 0.45 the length claw (Fig. 2E).Trunk limb 1 with a U-shaped copulatory hook, IDL with two plumose and a single smooth male setae (Fig. 2F).Variability: A single female had only two head pores connected, but with an obscure connection between pores 2 and 3, instead of three pores with a well-developed connection (Fig. 2C).Remarks: It was the most common species associated with macrophyte roots, collected from April, May, June, October and November.In Colombia, it has been reported from Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta and Andean region (Stingelin, 1913;Fuentes-Reinés et al., 2012).The male has only been described by Sinev (2001).In this research, the male was found in great proportions during the rainy season (October and November).
Genus Nicsmirnovius Chiambeng et Dumont, 1999 Nicsmirnovius fitzpatricki (Chien, 1970) (Fig. 3A-E) Syn: Van Damme et al., 2003:42.Material examined: 20 adult female from Laguna Navío Quebrado, northern Colombia, catalog number: UARC131M.Body length 0.31-0.39mm (Fig. 3A).It is characterized by three head pores with narrow connection and two lateral pores with Cosmarium-shaped structure located in the posterior part of the main head pores (Fig. 3B), a relatively large labral keel and a depression near apex (Fig. 3C).First antenna tubular, reducing in thickness at the distal part, with a long setule on it (Fig. 3D), IDL and ODL of limb I with 3 and 1 setae respectively (Fig. ), valve without reticulations, short setae on posterior-ventral valve portion (Fig. 3F), postabdomen quadrangular, with eight-nine denticles at the distal part, and lateral fascicles, its length is 2.3 times the width (Fig. 4A-D), postabdomial claw very long, its length 42% of postabdomen length, a basal spine beginning 7 μm from the base of postabdominal claw, base of claw with a pecten of six fine setules (Fig. 4E).
Variability: Two female were observed to posses the basis of postabdominal claw very reduced (Fig. 4B).Remarks: It was found within macrophyte during rainy season (October and November).Nicsmirnovius fitzpatricki was described as Alonella fitzpatricki from the Pearl River U.S.A by Chien (1970).For years later it was reassigned to Alona eximia by Frey (1974) and finally placed in the genus Nicsmirnovius (Van Damme et al., 2003).Nicsmirnovius fitzpatricki has been reported from Puerto Rico, México (Van de Velde et al., 1978), Argentina (Paggi, 1979)   Grande de Santa Marta.From 92 species of cladocerans reported from Colombia (Fuentes-Reinés et al., 2013), 18.47% are found in the Guajira department to date, but I believe this number will be significantly increased.Several taxa that could be common in the north region of Colombia are still lacking.
It remains highly probable that species such as Moina micrura, Moina minuta, Sarsilatona serricauda and Ephemeroporus hybridus could be found in the Guajira department, because they occur in other close localities (Magdalena and Córdoba department, Maracaibo state) (Carruyo-Noguera et al., 2008;Fuentes-Reinés et al., 2012, 2013).The absence of these taxa in my study could be partly explained by the scarcity of the macrophytes in the studied water body.The high salinity (28 PSU) in the limnetic region could limit the presence of some cladoceran species in this zone.The majority of freshwater cladocerans are phytophylous, and just macrophytes seem to support a greater variety of microhabitats, inhabited by a large number of species (Elmoor-Loureiro, 2007).
Anthalona verrucosa, A. glabra and N. fitzpatricki could be easily confused with other American species.The former is similar to A. brandorffi in the shape of antenna I; two main head pores with narrow connections, both species have tuberculated valves.Nevertheless A. verrucosa differs from A. brandorffi in the rostrum shape (its posterior margin narrow and elongated in A. verrucosa while in A. brandorffi the posterior margin is broadly rounded).The most obvious differences between these two species concern: (1) the morphology of IDL of limb I (two setae are supplied with long denticles in A. verrucosa, while in A. brandorffi they are shorter); (2) labrum (with a small denticle in A. verrucosa and without denticle in A. brandorffi); and (3) distal denticles of postabdomen (shorter in A. brandorffi than in A. verrucosa).
Alona glabra could be confused with A. cambouei and A. pulchella, but only A. glabra is found in South America (Sinev, 2001).In the Neotropical region N. fitzpatricki Chien Shingming, 1970 can be confused with Nicsmirnovius incredibilis (Smirnov, 1984), but they can be separated by: (1) labral keel (elongated in N. fitzpatricki and rounded in N. incredibilis); (2) IDL seta of limb I (as long as IDL seta in N. fitzpatricki while in N. incredibilis is longer); (3) postabdomen (with single distal angle in N. fitzpatricki while in N. incredibilis with a doubled angle); (4) postanal portion of the postabdomen (with clusters of long setules in N. incredibilis vs. robust denticles in N. fitzpatricki); and (5) postadominal claw (with basal spine very long in N. fitzpatricki while short in N. incredibilisis).In Nicsmirnovius fitzpatricki from Colombia the postabdomen is compact as in the Argentinian specimens.According to Van Damme et al. (2003), American populations of the genus still need to be revised.
The studies of Colombian cladocerans need to be continued.Only accurate determinations according to recent level of taxonomic analysis could lead to adequate understanding of their biodiversity.Before a strong improvement of our knowledge on faunistic composition of the Neotropical cladocerans, subsequent analysis of their biogeography, ecological preferences etc. seem to be pre-mature.

Table 1 .
Species of Cladocera from Laguna Navío Quebrado and its distribution.