Neodiaptomus prateek n. sp., a new freshwater copepod from Assam, India, with critical review of generic assignment of Neodiaptomus spp. and a note on diaptomid species richness (Calanoida: Diaptomidae)

Abstract

A B S T R A C TNeodiaptomus prateek n. sp. is described based on a plankton sample collected from Deepor Beel, a floodplain lake in the north-eastern, Indian state of Assam, which falls within the key biodiversity area of the Indo-Burma Hotspot. The new species fulfils all the principal criteria of the genus Neodiaptomus Kiefer, 1932, as revised by Kiefer (1939). It has, however, a spectacular autapomorphic feature, which is perhaps unparalleled in Diaptomidae as a whole -a massive coxal plate ending in a thumb-like spinulose structure on the caudal surface of the male left P5. The new taxon also has two homoplastic characters that are hitherto unknown within the genus: the female fourth pediger has a prominent mid-dorsal process, and the third endopodal segment of P2-P4 has six instead of seven setae, the proximal outer seta being absent. The affinities of the new species with its congeners are discussed. Furthermore, the generic assignment of all the 13 species of Neodiaptomus listed in the latest World Copepoda database (Walter, 2012) is critically reviewed. Of these, five species are recognised as valid, six are relegated to species inquirendae, and one each is a nomen dubium and a synonym. Two lineage groups are recognised within the genus, one belonging to Southeast Asia and the other mostly confined to India. Surprisingly, the new species was accompanied by a record number of seven other diaptomid species in the same sample; the probable biogeographic and ecological implications of this high species richness are briefly discussed.

Diversity, Distribution, and Habitat Occurrence of the Diaptomid Copepods (Crustacea: Copepoda: Diaptomidae) in Freshwater Ecosystems of Thailand

“…Neodiaptomus schmackeri (Poppe and Richard, 1892) (Figure 8C) was originally described as Diaptomus schmackeri [61]. Among the 14 reported species of the genus Neodiaptomus [62], N. schmackeri is the most widely distributed species, being reported from southern China, the Russian Far East, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore [1,63] and Vietnam [32]. Recently, Alfonso et al (2014) [64] have reported this species in eight lakes in Albania (Europe) for the first time.…”

Thebiodiverse rotifers (Rotifera: Eurotatoria) of the floodplain wetlands of Barak valley of Assam, Northeast India

“…Nevertheless, the Indian literature still lacks attention on regional faunal diversity of these `wheel animalcules' except for NEIthe most rich and Rotifera biodiverse region of India (Sharma & Sharma 2014a. Importantly, Assam state of NEI, a part of the Indo-Myanmar biodiversity hotspot, merits attention as `the Assam-gateway' which is recognized as a unique phase in the biogeographic evolution of India (Mani 1974, Ranga Reddy 2013. Further, this state is characterized by the fluvial floodplain wetlands of the Brahmaputra and Barak Rivers; the former are hypothesized as globally rich rotifer habitats (Sharma & Sharma 2008, 2014b, Sharma et al 2018.…”

A Study on Seasonal Variation in Zooplankton Abundance in Kadasgatti Minor Irrigation Tank of Bailhongal Taluk, Belagavi District, Karnataka State, INDIA.

“…Subsequently there are several reports on zooplankton studies from different parts of India that includes the studies on zooplankton composition in the limnetic zones of two subtropical lakes, Nainital and the Bhimtal of Uttar Pradesh, India (21) . Investigations on rotifer, cladocera and copepoda group has been carried out from eastern, North West and North East part of India (22)(23)(24)(25)(26) . Zooplankton emergence pattern and resting egg diversity of dried water bodies in north Maharashtra (27) .…”