Anthalona acuta Van Damme, Sinev & Dumont, 2011

Sousa, Francisco Diogo R., Elmoor-Loureiro, Lourdes M. A., Debastiani-Júnior, José Roberto, Mugnai, Riccardo & Senna, André, 2015, New records of Anthalona acuta Van Damme, Sinev & Dumont 2011 and Anthalona brandorffi (Sinev & Hollwedel, 2002) in Brazil, with description of a new species of the simplex - branch (Crustacea: Cladocera: Chydoridae), Zootaxa 4044 (2), pp. 224-240 : 226-227

Anthalona acuta Van Damme, Sinev & Dumont, 2011

( Figs 1 , 6 A)

Alona verrucosa in Elmoor-Loureiro (2007), p. 347–348, figs. 8–9.

Anthalona verrucosa (partim); Sousa & Elmoor-Loureiro (2012), p. 356.

Type locality. Temporary Dune pool near Atins, Lençóis Maranheses, NE Brazil (Van Damme et al. 2011).

Holotype. Royal Belgian Institute for Natural Sciences, Brussels ( RBIN) under the accession number IG 31782, INV 96691-93.

Material examined. Distrito Federal. Fifteen parthenogenetic females from Bonita Pond (15°35'22.1"S, 47°41'50.1”W), Ecological Station of Águas Emendadas, Planaltina, Distrito Federal, Brazil, collected by Lourdes M. A. Elmoor-Loureiro ( LMAEL) (EL00743, EL02506) and GEEA.

Goiás. A parthenogenetic female from a pond at Paranã River valley (15°09’15.8"S, 47°28’04.7"W), Formosa, Goiás, Brazil, collected by LMAEL on 19.iv.2003 (EL02507). Two parthenogenetic females and one ephippial female from Jataí swamp at Paranã River valley (15°09’15.8"S, 47°28’04.7"W), Formosa, Goiás, Brazil, collected by Ciro Joko on 20.viii.2003 (EL02508) and LMAEL on 19.09.2004. One parthenogenetic female from a swamp at Paranã River valley (14°32’03.0"S, 47°01’50.1"W), Flores de Goiás, Goiás, Brazil, collected by LMAEL on 0 7.02.2005 (EL02509). One parthenogenetic female from a pond at Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park (14°6'8.57" S, 47°42'7.35"W), Alto Paraíso, Goiás, Brazil, collected by GEEA on 17.06.2012.

Mato Grosso. A parthenogenetic female from the vicinity of Poconé (16°21'36"S, 56°38'48"W), Mato Grosso, Brazil, collected by LMAEL on 0 2.02.1986 (EL02510).

Comments. Morphology of the specimens in these populations completely agrees with the initial description of the species (Van Damme et al. 2011). The morphology of A. acuta is very peculiar, and this taxon is easily differentiated from other species of Anthalona due to the strong and chitinized apical setae on the exopodite of the antenna II ( Figs 1 A, C).

Distribution and Ecology. So far, A. acuta has been found from Venezuela to Central Brazil ( Fig 6 A). Our results confirm the suggestion of Van Damme et al. (2011) that A. acuta is widely distributed in the Neotropics. Anthalona acuta may be confused with A. verrucosa ; thus, records of the latter from the south of Brazil need to be checked (for morphology of A. verrucosa , see Van Damme et al. 2011). Anthalona acuta seems to have a preference for lentic water bodies colonized by macrophytes. It was observed in the vegetation formed by plants from the families Cyperaceae Juss. and Pontederiaceae Kunth in coexistence with A. verrucosa verrucosa and A. brandorffi .

Figures

FIGURE 1. Anthalona acuta Van Damme, Sinev & Dumont, 2011, parthenogenetic female from Bonita Pond, Distrito Federal, Brazil. A, lateral view. B, h pores. C, antenna II—apical segment of the exopodite. D, postabdomen. Scale bars = 50 µm.

FIGURE 6. Geographical distribution of four species of Anthalona in the Neotropics. A, Anthalona acuta Van Damme, Sinev & Dumont, 2011. B, Anthalona brandorffi (Sinev & Hollwedel, 2002). C, Anthalona verrucosa verrucosa (Sars, 1901). D, Anthalona neotropica sp. nov. Black circles are previous records in Van Damme et al. (2011) and Sinev & Hollwedel (2002). White circles are records observed in this study.