Diagnosing Eulimnadia and Paralimnadia (Branchiopoda: Spinicaudata: Limnadiidae)
Brian V. Timms
Honorary Research Associate, Australian Museum, 10 William St, Sydney, 2010 and Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW 2052, Australia.
D. Christopher Rogers
Kansas Biological Survey, and The Biodiversity Institute, The University of Kansas, Higuchi Hall, 2101 Constant Avenue, Lawrence, KS 66047-3759, USA.
Communicated by Thomas A. Hegna and D. Christopher Rogers
Eulimnadia and Paralimnadia are both strongly supported, monophyletic limnadiid lineages based on molecular studies. However, defining the two taxa morphologically relies on the presence/absence of a subcercopodal spiniform projection; otherwise there is considerable overlap and confusion in morphological characters between the two taxa. The most discriminatory of these characters are examined here and applied to Australasian species. As a result, five Eulimnadia species are transferred to Paralimnadia. These characters are then applied to world Eulimnadia species and other limnadiid genera which share key features with Eulimnadia.
Keywords
Clam shrimp, Cercopods, Antennomeres, Claspers, Amplexus, Reproductive systems.
Supplementary materials
Appendix 1.
(download)