Abstract
The diversity of freshwater zooplankton is still little known in Mexico, particularly in reference to insular zooplankton communities. Diaptomid copepods (Crustacea: Copepoda: Calanoida) are a widespread group worldwide, and Mexico harbours high diaptomid diversity. Based on a recent sampling of freshwater zooplankton on a Caribbean Island of Mexico, we present the first record of a diaptomid copepod from an island freshwater ecosystem. It shows the well-known tendency of Neotropical diaptomids to have restricted distributional patterns and high levels of endemism. The species recorded, Mastigodiaptomus ha (Cervantes-Martínez, 2020) appears to have a restricted distribution in the Yucatan Peninsula (YP), and the island as well. In order to explore potential differences between the island and continental populations of this species, its phenetic and genetic diversity was analysed by performing morphological comparisons and also by exploring differences of the habitat conditions and genetic sequences (CO1 gene). Our analysis revealed a low (average = 0.33%) genetic divergence between both populations; likewise, both the morphology and habitat conditions closely resemble each other in these two populations. The low genetic divergence between the continental and island populations of M. ha suggests an early common origin of the species in the geological history of the YP.
Highlights
Accepted: 13 June 2021The diverse zooplankton community inhabiting the epicontinental and underground freshwater ecosystems of the Yucatan Peninsula (YP) can be largely constituted by calanoid copepods belonging to the most successful freshwater group; the family Diaptomidae.Diaptomids tend to have restricted distributional patterns, with many endemic species in the Neotropical region [1].Mastigodiaptomus is one of the most diverse genera in Mexico, currently including13 species
Mastigodiaptomus ha is a freshwater, free-living diaptomid copepod, that is apparently endemic to the north and northeastern zones of the YP
After systematic surveys of freshwater and anchialine zooplankton were conducted for approximately 15 years in the YP, including on Cozumel Island, this is the first finding on record of a freshwater, free-living calanoid diaptomid on a Mexican island
Summary
Accepted: 13 June 2021The diverse zooplankton community inhabiting the epicontinental and underground freshwater ecosystems of the Yucatan Peninsula (YP) can be largely constituted by calanoid copepods belonging to the most successful freshwater group; the family Diaptomidae.Diaptomids tend to have restricted distributional patterns, with many endemic species in the Neotropical region [1].Mastigodiaptomus is one of the most diverse genera in Mexico, currently including13 species. Diaptomids tend to have restricted distributional patterns, with many endemic species in the Neotropical region [1]. Mastigodiaptomus is one of the most diverse genera in Mexico, currently including. The genus is widely distributed in the Neotropical region, including the Caribbean islands, Central America, and areas of the Southern United States [2,3]. Gutiérrez-Aguirre et al [3] described three new species of the genus from. Mexico; Mastigodiaptomus cihuatlan (Gutiérrez-Aguirre, 2020), M. alexei (Elías Gutiérrez, 2020), and M. ha (Cervantes-Martínez, 2020). The latter was found in sinkholes (locally known as cenotes) in the northeastern continental zone region of the YP
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