Karualona serrulata Van Damme, Maiphae

Sinev, Artem Y., Dadykin, Ivan A., Umi, Wahidah A. D. & Yusoff, Fatimah M., 2025, New data on Cladocera (Crustacea: Branchiopoda) of Peninsular Malaysia, Zootaxa 5604 (3), pp. 255-284 : 270

Karualona serrulata Van Damme, Maiphae & Sa-adrit, 2013

Fig. 10I–L

Sinev & Korovchinsky 2013: Fig. 2 H–K ( Karualona sp. ); Van Damme et al. 2013: 182–186, Fig 4–8; Sinev 2016: 473, Fig. 11I–K.

Material examined: A single parthenogenetic female from a lake full of lotus, Paya Indah Wetland , Selangor (2.85820° N, 101.63171° E), 03.09.2022 .

This is the first record for Malaysia. Karualona serrulata is habitually similar to other East Asian species of the genus ( Fig. 10I), but it can be easily distinguished from them by a peculiar morphology of the posteroventral angle of valves ( Fig. 10J). It also differs from most common species of the region, K. fatimae Sinev & Semenyuk, 2023 (earlier recorded as K. karua King, 1853 ) in the absence of a spinule on anterior margin of labrum ( Fig 10K) and in a well-developed basal spine of the postabdominal claw ( Fig. 10L). For detailed description see Van Damme et al. (2013).

Karualona serrulata is a rare species, an endemic of South-East Asia, so far known from South and North-East Thailand, Vietnam and Laos (Sinev 2016). The species is found in swamps and shallow lakes, littoral species, associated with vegetation.