Vol. 59, 2020

(update: 2020.06.19; 07.20)
 

Checklist and Distribution of Freshwater Cladocera (Crustacea: Branchiopoda) in Côte d’Ivoire (West Africa)

Raphaël N’doua Etilé*, Théophile Aké Bédia, Georges Kassi Blahoua, Gouli Goore Bi, Paul Essetchi Kouamelan, and Valentin N’Douba

University Félix Houphouët-Boigny; Department of Biological Sciences; Laboratory of Natural Environments and Biodiversity Conservation; Unit of Pedagogy and Research in Hydrobiology (Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire); 22 Box 582 Abidjan 22, Côte d’Ivoire. *Correspondence E-mail: etile.ndoua@ufhb.edu.ci; ndouaetile@gmail.com (Etilé)
E-mail: bediaake@yahoo.fr (Bédia), kassiblahou@yahoo.fr (Blahoua), gouligoorebi@gmail.com (Goore Bi), kessetch2012@gmail.com (Kouamelan), ndouval@hotmail.com (N’Douba)

(Received 6 September 2019 / Accepted 12 June 2020)
Communicated by Benny K.K. Chan

This study provides a checklist of cladocerans and evaluates the species richness and composition of this order in Côte d’Ivoire. A checklist of cladocerans was created by evaluating data from the literature and fauna surveys focused on zooplankton in different types of aquatic environments over the past 50 years. In total, 39  Cladocera species have been reported from Côte d’Ivoire. This richness includes 24 genera and seven families, with Chydoridae being the most diversified family (16 species, 41% of the total Cladocera diversity in Côte d’Ivoire), followed by Daphniidae (eight species, 21%); Moinidae (four species, 10%); Bosminidae, Macrothricidae, and Sidiidae (three species, 8% each); and Ilyocriptidae (two species, 5%). Ceriodaphnia cornuta, Moina micrura, and Diaphanosoma excisum were the most frequently encountered species.

Key words: Cladocera, Diversity, Checklist, Biogeography and Distribution, Côte d’Ivoire.

Citation: Etilé RN, Bédia TA, Blahoua GK, Goore Bi G, Kouamelan PE, N’Douba V. 2020. Checklist and distribution of freshwater Cladocera (Crustacea: Branchiopoda) in Côte d’Ivoire (West Africa). Zool Stud 59:31. doi:10.6620/ZS.2020.59-31.