Alona setulosa Megard, 1967

Sinev, Artem Y. & Silva-Briano, Marcelo, 2012, Cladocerans of genus Alona Baird, 1843 (Cladocera: Anomopoda: Chydoridae) and related genera from Aguascalientes State, Mexico, Zootaxa 3569, pp. 1-24 : 15

Alona setulosa Megard, 1967 .

( Fig 7 )

Megard 1967: 44–47, figs. 23–28, pl. I, figs 3a, b; Smirnov 1971: 376, fig. 443; Chengalath & Hann 1981: 386, figs. 33–39; Sinev 2009: 70–75, figs. 6–8.

Type locality. A pond on the crest of Chuska Mountains, New Mexico, about 5 miles N of Washington Pass, U.S.A.

Type material. Holotype. Parthenogenetic female; British Museum (Nat. Hist.), London, 1966.3.21.7.

Studied material: 16 parthenogenetic females from Pond near road in Los Hoyos town. El Llano, Aguascalientes, 21.09.1991, AYS; 9 parthenogenetic females from pond near Laguna Seca pond, San Josй de Gracia, Aguascalientes, 25.09.1993, AYS; 4 parthenogenetic females from La Araña dam, Sierra Fría, San Josй de Gracia, Aguascalientes, 29.09.1993, AYS; 2 parthenogenetic females, 1 ephippial female from pond near road to Los Arquitos town (in El Cariñan farm), Jesús María, Aguascalientes. 0 7.07.1988, AYS; 18 parthenogenetic females from pond in San Miguel de los Sandovales town, El Llano, Aguascalientes, 12.10.1991, AYS; 1 parthenogenetic females from pool in El Huarache farm, Calvillo, Aguascalientes, 26.06.1987, AYS.

Comments. Morphology of the studied specimens ( Figs. 7 F–J) completely agrees with the recent redescription of the species (Sinev, 2009b), morphology of postabdomen ( Fig. 7 H–I) is quite variable. In Aguasclientes, A. setulosa can be confused with A. aguascalientensis sp. nov. specimens without denticle on posteroventral corner of valves. But A. setulosa clearly differs from the latter in major head pores with interrupted (not absent!) connection between middle and posterior pore, shorter and broader postabdomen, and in the morphology of postanal marginal denticles of postabdomen. In A. setulosa , like in A. glabra , two-three distalmost denticles are significantly larger than others, while in A. aguascalientensis sp. nov. all denticles are of the same size.

Distribution. The taxon is distributed from North Canada (Chengalath 1982) to North Mexico (Elías- Gutiérrez et al. 1997). According to Chengalath (1982), it is a eurybiotic species, distributed in different types of lakes, which can inhabit brackish waters. At the moment Aguascalientes is the southernmost location of the species. Here it was found mostly in the dry and temperate region, however, two of the localities (Laguna Seca pond and La Araña dam) are from the high altitude cold region.

Figures

FIGURE 7. A – E, Alona glabra Sars, 1901 from pond between El Picacho and Loma La Plata mountains. Aguascalientes State, Mexico. A – B, parthenogenetic female. A, lateral view. B, postabdomen. C – E, male. C, lateral view. D, postabdomen. E, antennule. F – J, Alona setulosa Megard, 1967. F – I, from pond near Laguna Seca pond, San Josй de Gracia, Aguascalientes state, Mexico, parthenogenetic female. F, lateral view. G, head pores. H – I, postabdomen. J, ephippial female from pond near road to Los Arquitos town (in El Cariñan farm), Jesús María, Aguascalientes State, Mexico. Scale bars denote 0.1 mm for A, C, F, J, 0.05 mm for B, D – E, G – I.