Celsinotum macronyx ( Daday, 1898 )

CHATTERJEE, TAPAS, KOTOV, ALEXEY A., DAMME, KAY VAN, CHANDRASEKHAR, S. V. A. & PADHYE, SAMEER, 2013, An annotated checklist of the Cladocera (Crustacea: Branchiopoda) from India, Zootaxa 3667 (1), pp. 1-89 : 42-43

(84) Celsinotum macronyx ( Daday, 1898)

Indian records. Assam —Sharma B.K. & Sharma S. (2012); Madhya Pradesh —Rane (1983), Rajapaksha & Fernando (1987a); Maharashtra — Rane (2004); Meghalaya —Sharma S. (2008a); General record— Fernando & Kanduru (1984), Raghunathan & Suresh Kumar (2003).

Remarks. Valid species described as Alona macronyx from Sri Lanka ( Daday 1898), and placed in the genus Indialona Petkovski, 1966 by Smirnov (1971), redescribed by Rajapaksha & Fernando (1987a) and used subsequently in one of both combinations, mostly in Alona (see Van Damme et al. 2010). Its morphology is now revised again, leading to its allocation to the genus Celsinotum Frey, 1991 ( Sinev & Kotov 2012). Indialona jabalpurensis Rane 1983 is a junior synonym of Alona macronyx (see Rajapaksha & Fernando, 1987a; Sharma B.K. & Sharma S. 1990). Raghunathan & Suresh Kumar (2003) used the combination “ Alona macronyx Rajapaksha and Fernando ”, which is inexistent.

Distribution. Oriental zone ( Idris 1983; Rajapaksa & Fernando 1985, 1987a; Sanoamuang 1998; Maiphae et al. 2005) including South China (listed as Kurzia yunnanesis , see Shen et al. 1966).

Coronatella cf. anodonta ( Daday, 1905)

Indian records. Assam —Sharma B.K. & Sharma S. (2012); Meghalaya —Sharma B.K. & Sharma S. (2011); Tamil Nadu — Venkataraman (1998b); General record— Fernando & Kanduru (1984); Raghunathan & Suresh Kumar (2003).

Remarks. Incorrect name. A. anodonta Daday, 1905 was described from Paraguay ( Daday 1905). The status of this taxon remains unclear (Van Damme et al. 2010) and it was recently listed as an incerta sedis of Coronatella (see Van Damme et al. 2011b). The tuberculated Alona cf. anodonta that Rajapaksa & Fernando (1982) listed from Sri Lanka, is likely yet another species related to C. rectangula that remains to be described, but “ anodonta ” is not the right name. Also Sharma B.K. & Sharma S. (2011; 2012) reported a tuberculated “ anodonta ” from India and photographs show an interesting taxon with quite large postabdomen (not as compressed with S-shaped dorsal postabdominal margin as typical Coronatella rectangula )—the whole group of rectangula- like species in India remains to be revised. Tuberculated forms are often given separate names, but this is actually only a variability between populations (Van Damme et al. 2010).

Distribution. The records of this taxon, definitely related to C. rectangula , seem to increase (Sharma B.K. & Sharma S. 2011, 2012), but it is certain than more than one species of the rectangula- complex are present in India and the situation is highly complex (as in Europe!). The name “ anodonta ” should best be avoided for these tuberculate forms in India and the reports of cf. anodonta belong to a yet undescribed species of which distribution is unknown (may be confused with other rectangula- records in the Oriental region).

Coronatella bukobensis ( Weltner, 1898)

Indian records. Jammu & Kashmir— Raina & Vass (1993); Rajasthan —Biaswas (1971); General record— Fernando & Kanduru (1984), Raghunathan & Suresh Kumar (2003).

Remarks. Species described from Uganda ( Weltner 1898). C. bukobensis is an African member of the C. rectangula -group, formerly known as Alona rectangula- group ( Van Damme & Dumont 2008a; Van Damme et al. 2010); its presence in India is problematic and taxonomy of this group is highly complicated. It is generally safer to use the name C. rectangula s.lat. (and sp. 1, sp.2 etc) for these records, yet even under such a name more than one species can be present in the region. Actually, there is no doubt that several species related to C. rectangula are present here, but these need to be revised.

Coronatella dentifera ( Sars, 1901)

Indian records. Andaman & Nicobar Islands — Venkataraman (1992b, 2000a);

As ‘ Alonella dentifera ’: Assam — Abujam et al. (2011); Jammu & Kashmir— Akthar (1972), Raina & Vass (1993); Rajasthan —Sharma V. et al. (2008); West Bengal — Bilgrami (1991a); General records: Raghunathan & Suresh Kumar (2003).

Remarks. This is a valid Neotropical ( Smirnov 1971; Elías-Gutiérrez et al. 2006, 2008) species, described from Brazil ( Sars 1901), yet not to be expected in India. Morphologically similar populations in the Oriental zone ( Idris 1983; Maiphae et al. 2005) now appear to belong to a special taxon, A. siamensis Sinev & Sanoamuang, 2007 , described from Thailand ( Sinev & Sanoamuang 2007). Its presence in India needs to be confirmed, yet A. siamensis could well occur here (not A. dentifera ).

Coronatella harpularia ( Sars, 1916)

Indian records. General record— Fernando & Kanduru (1984).

Remarks. Dubious record. This species was rescribed from the Republic of South Africa ( Sars 1916) and regarded by Smirnov (2008) as a valid species, endemic to South Africa; according to Van Damme & Dumont (2008a) this is a junior synonym of C. bukobensis Weltner, 1898 . In any case, its presence in India is dubious and this is another problematic name in the C. rectangula- group.

Coronatella holdeni ( Green, 1962)

Indian records. Rajasthan — Venkataraman (1998b); General record— Fernando & Kanduru (1984), Raghunathan & Suresh Kumar (2003).

Remarks. Valid species described from Nigeria ( Green 1962) and redescribed by Van Damme & Dumont (2008a), found to be an African endemic. Its presence in India is highly doubtful, the Indian authors most likely meant another species related to holdeni , which is close to C. rectangula . Unpublished observations by K. V. Damme and S. Padhye, based on populations collected by the latter, show that a yet undescribed species, that could be superficially confused with C. holdeni , is present in India and needs to be described. It may be an endemic, as no other records of populations close to A. holdeni are known from SE Asia—the species is characterised by a peculiarly large thick spine on the second antennal segment.