Study of rarely occurring males of Bosminopsis сf. africanus Daday, 1908 (Cladocera: Bosminidae) from SE Asia permits clarification of male-character based differentiation within the genus

Abstract

The genus Bosminopsis Richard, 1895 (Cladocera: Bosminidae) is common in the tropics and subtropics of different continents. B. deitersi Richard, 1895 was regarded as a cosmopolitan taxon, but in our previous publications, we have demonstrated the presence of at least four species in the world fauna. We have found that B. cf. africanus Daday, 1908 inhabits the Paleotropical zone, however, we were unable to provide a complete morphological description of its male. Now, thanks to the discovery of the males from SE Asia, we have the opportunity to make its description. We also make a comparison of the male morphology within the B. deitersi species group and for the first time provide a key for species identification based on male morphology.