Acta Limnologica Brasiliensia
https://actalb.org/article/doi/10.1590/S2179-975X5624
Acta Limnologica Brasiliensia
Thematic Section: Neotropical Zooplankton Symposium

Cladocerans (Crustacea, Branchiopoda) from Mount Roraima, Venezuela, with new records for this country and the Neotropical region

Cladóceros (Crustacea, Branchiopoda) do Monte Roraima, Venezuela, com novos registros para este país e região Neotropical

Vinícius Vilela Carvalho; Francisco Diogo Rocha Sousa; Lourdes Maria Abdu Elmoor-Loureiro; Gilmar Perbiche-Neves

http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S2179-975X5624 Acta Limnol. Bras. (Online), vol.37, e106, 2025
PDF
Downloads: 0
Views: 13

Abstract

Aim: Venezuela, located in the north of South America, has ecosystems with great potential for diversity. Among these ecosystems, Mount Roraima located at the border of Venezuela, Brazil, and Guyana, stands out. Mount Roraima is considered a conservation unit, and understanding its fauna is an important tool for species preservation. Its true biodiversity is underestimated, especially for microcrustaceans of the Superorder Cladocera. This study presents a preliminary inventory of the cladocerans of this mountain.

Methods: Samples were collected from two ponds located in the upper part of Mount Roraima using a conical plankton net. The specimens were then analyzed, photographed, and identified. The richness and relative abundance in each sample were calculated.

Results: Three species were recorded for the first time in Venezuela. There is a possibility that the Orinoco Basin endemic species Streblocerus superserricaudatus occurs in Brazil and Guyana, since the ponds are very close to the border of both countries. There is a co-occurrence of three Flavalona species in the territory of Roraima, a fact so far only known for Brazil. Adding the new records to the previously known lists, the cladoceran richness for Venezuela is now 105.

Conclusions: Samplings in peculiar and remote environments have the potential to reveal new species and records. Further samplings are suggested on Mount Roraima to mitigate potential sampling biases.

Keywords

 altitude; biogeography; Chydoridae; sampling effort; tepui

Resumo

Objetivo: A Venezuela, situada ao Norte da América do Sul, possui ecossistemas com amplo potencial de diversidade. Dentre esses ecossistemas destaca-se o Monte Roraima, localizado na fronteira Venezuela, Brasil e Guiana. O Monte Roraima é considerado uma unidade de conservação e conhecer sua fauna é importante para auxiliar na preservação de espécies. Sua real biodiversidade está subamostrada, principalmente para os microcrustáceos da Superordem Cladocera. Este estudo apresenta um inventário preliminar dos cladóceros dessa montanha.

Métodos: Foram realizadas coletas em duas lagoas localizadas na parte alta do Monte Roraima com uma rede cônica de plâncton. Os animais então foram analisados, fotografados e identificados. A riqueza e abundância relativa para cada amostra foram calculadas.

Resultados: Três espécies foram registradas pela primeira vez para a Venezuela. Existe a possibilidade da espécie endêmica Streblocerus superserricaudatus ocorrer no Brasil e na Guiana, pelo fato das lagoas estarem muito próximas à divisa dos dois países. Existe a sobreposição de três espécies de Flavalona no território do Roraima, algo que ocorre somente no Brasil. Adicionando os novos registros às listas anteriores conhecidas, a riqueza de cladóceros para a Venezuela agora é de 105.

Conclusões: Amostragens em ambientes peculiares e de difícil acesso tem o potencial de revelar novas espécies e registros. Sugere-se novas coletas no Monte Roraima de forma a diminuir possíveis vieses amostrais.

Palavras-chave

altitude; biogeografia; Chydoridae; esforço amostral; tepui

Referencias

Alonso, M., & Kotov, A.A., 2017. A new species of Alonella Sars, 1862 (Crustacea: Cladocera: Chydoridae) from the Ecuadorian Andes. Zootaxa 4290(3), 1-11. http://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4290.3.11.

Alonso, M., & Sinev, A.Y., 2017. Relocation of Alona manueli Sinev & Zawisza 2013 and a new closely related species from the Ecuadorian Andes to the new genus Alpinalona (Cladocera, Chydoridae, Aloninae). Zootaxa 4350(3), 563-573. PMid:29245543. http://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4350.3.8.

Brehm, V., 1953. Eine eigenartige Bosmina aus Venezuela. Ergebnisse der deutschen limnologischen. Venezuela Expedition 1952. Anz. Österreichische Akad. der Wiss. 11, 1-13.

Brown, J.H., & Lomolino, M.V., 1998. Biogeography. Sunderland: Sinauer, 2nd ed.

Diniz-Filho, J.A.F., Loyola, R.D., Raia, P., Mooers, A.O., & Bini, L.M., 2013. Darwinian shortfalls in biodiversity conservation. Trends Ecol. Evol. 28(12), 689-695. PMid:24091208. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2013.09.003.

Dodson, S.I., & Frey, D.G., 2001. Cladocera and Other Branchiopoda. In: Thorp, J.H., & Covich, A.P., eds. Ecology and classification of north American freshwater invertebrates. San Diego: Academic Press, 849-913, 2nd ed. http://doi.org/10.1016/B978-012690647-9/50022-3.

Dumont, H.J., & Smirnov, N.N., 1996. Reinstatement of the genus Paralona Sramek-Husek et al., 1962, and assessment of morphological variability in the Paralona pigra-group (Anomopoda: Chydoridae). Hydrobiologia 333(1), 29-36. http://doi.org/10.1007/BF00020961.

Elmoor-Loureiro, L.M.A., 1997. Manual de Identificação de Cladóceros límnicos do Brasil, Universa. Brasília. 156 p.

Elmoor-Loureiro, L.M.A., 2000. Brazilian cladoceran studies: where do we stand? Nauplius 8(1), 117-131.

Fernández-Delgado, M., Giarrizzo, J., Garcia-Amado, M., Contreras, M., Salazar, V., Barton, H., & Suárez, P., 2016. Evidence of Helicobacter spp. in freshwaters from Roraima Tepui, Guayana Shield, South America. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek 109(4), 529-542. PMid:26825784. http://doi.org/10.1007/s10482-016-0658-9.

Flossner, D., 1962. Zur variabilitat und synonymie von Chydorus piger G. O. Sars,1861 (Crustacea, Cladocera). Zool. Anz. 169, 397-401.

Frey, D.G., 1980. The non-swimning Chydorid Cladocera of wet forest with description of a new genus and two new species. Int. Rev. ges. Int. Rev. Gesamten Hydrobiol. 65(5), 613-641. http://doi.org/10.1002/iroh.19800650502.

Hortal, J., De Bello, F., Diniz-Filho, J.A.F., Lewinsohn, T.M., Lobo, J.M., & Ladle, R.J., 2015. Seven shortfalls that beset large-scale knowledge of biodiversity. Annu. Rev. Ecol. Evol. Syst. 46(1), 523-549. http://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-112414-054400.

Hudec, I., 1998. Anomopoda (Crustacea: Branchiopoda) from some Venezuelan tepuis. Hydrobiologia 377(1-3), 205-211. http://doi.org/10.1023/A:1003260602055.

Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística – IBGE, 2016. Geociências: IBGE revê as altitudes de sete pontos culminantes [online]. Brasília: IBGE. Retrieved in 2014, February, from https://agenciadenoticias.ibge.gov.br/agencia-sala-de-imprensa/2013-agencia-de-noticias/releases/15275-geocieencias-ibge-reve-as-altitudes-de-sete-pontos-culminantes

Kotov, A.A., 2008. Finding of Pleuroxus smirnovi sp. nov. from the Pamir region revealed today’s imperfect state of systematics and biogeography of the Chydorinae (Cladocera: chydoridae). Int. Rev. Hydrobiol. 93(2), 200-209. http://doi.org/10.1002/iroh.200711007.

Kotov, A.A., Sinev, A.Y., & Berrios, V.L., 2010. The Cladocera (Crustacea: Branchiopoda) of six high altitude water bodies in the North Chilean Andes, with discussion of Andean endemism. Zootaxa 2430(1), 1-66. http://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.2430.1.1.

Lilljeborg, W. 1900. Cladocera Sueciae. Nova Acta Regiae Societatis Scientatis Scientiarum Upsaleinsis 19(3), 1-701.

Paggi, J.C., & Herrera-Martinez, Y., 2020. Presence of Acantholeberis Lilljeborg (Cladocera, Anomopoda) in South America, with remarks on the taxonomy and geographic distribution of the genus. Zool. Zh. 99(12), 1345-1362. http://doi.org/10.31857/S0044513420110057.

Pearse, A.S., 1921. Crustacea from lake Valencia, Venezuela. Proc. U. S. Natl. Mus. 59(2381), 459-462. http://doi.org/10.5479/si.00963801.59-2381.459.

Rivas, E.J.G., Pardo, M.J., Torres, R., Scott-Frías, J., & López, C., 2023. Studies on freshwater zooplankton of Venezuela: present and future perspectives. Limnologica 100, 126051. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.limno.2022.126051.

Roa, E.Z., & Lopez, C., 2008. An updated checklist of inland Cladocera (Crustacea: Orders Ctenopoda and Anomopoda) from Venezuela. Zootaxa 1919(1), 45-57. http://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.1919.1.3.

Roa, E.Z., & Vasquez, W., 1991. Additional cladoceran records for Mantecal and new for Venezuela. Hydrobiologia 225(1), 45-62. http://doi.org/10.1007/BF00028384.

Santos-Wisniewski, M.J., Matsumura-Tundisi, T., Negreiros, N.F., Silva, L.C.D., Santos, R.M.D., & Rocha, O., 2011. O estado atual do conhecimento da diversidade dos Cladocera (Crustacea, Branchiopoda) nas águas doces do estado de Minas Gerais. Biota Neotrop. 11(3), 287-301. http://doi.org/10.1590/S1676-06032011000300024.

Santos-Wisniewski, M.J., Rocha, O., Güntzel, A.M., & Matsumura-Tundisi, T., 2002. Cladocera, Chydoridae of the high-altitude water bodies (Serra da Mantiqueira), in Brazil. Braz. J. Biol. 62(4A), 681-687. PMid:12659018. http://doi.org/10.1590/S1519-69842002000400016.

Sinev, A.Y., & Elmoor-Loureiro, L.M.A., 2010. Three new species of chydorid cladocerans of subfamily Aloninae (Branchiopoda: Anomopoda: Chydoridae) from Brazil. Zootaxa 2390(1), 1-25. http://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.2390.1.1.

Skarabotto, R., Urbano, J.M., Portinho, J.L., & Perbiche-Neves, G., 2020. Microcrustaceans assemblages and water quality in a high-altitude pond in South Brazil (Paraná). Oecol. Aust. 25(1), 154-158. http://doi.org/10.4257/oeco.2021.2501.14.

Smirnov, N.N., Alvarez, H., & Castillo, M.M., 1995. Streblocerus superserricaudatus sp. nov. from Venezuela. Hydrobiologia 312(3), 167-170. http://doi.org/10.1007/BF00015509.

Sousa, F.D.R., & Elmoor-Loureiro, L.M.A., 2018. Populations of Flavalona setigera (Brehm, 1931) in Brazil belong to a new species: Flavalona asymmetrica (Cladocera: Chydoridae: Aloninae). Nauplius. 26, e2018003. https://doi.org/10.1590/2358-2936e2018003.

Sousa, F.D.R., & Elmoor-Loureiro, L.M.A., 2019. Identification key for the Brazilian genera and species of Aloninae (Crustacea, Branchiopoda, Anomopoda, Chydoridae). Pap. Avulsos Zool. 59, e20195924. http://doi.org/10.11606/1807-0205/2019.59.24.

Sousa, F.D.R., Elmoor-Loureiro, L.M.A., Quadra, A., & Senna, A.R., 2014. First record of Cladocera (Crustacea: Chydoridae) from Parque Nacional do Itatiaia, Southeastern Brazil. Check List 10(3), 665-668. http://doi.org/10.15560/10.3.665.

Sramek-Husek, R., & Straskraba, M., Brtek, J., 1962. Lupenonozci – Branchiopoda. Prague: Ceskoslovenske Akademie Ved, 470 p., Fauna CSSR, Vol. 16.

Torres, C.R., Paiva, L.O., Durão, M.S., Trindade, V.L., & Padovesi-Fonseca, C., 2019. Novas ocorrências de cladóceros em ambientes aquáticos do Brasil Central: compreendendo a biodiversidade. Heringerian. 13(2), 21-28. http://doi.org/10.17648/heringeriana.v13i2.917883.

Vasquez, E., & Rey, J., 1989. A longitudinal study of zooplankton along the lower Orinoco River and its Delta (Venezuela). Ann. Limnol. 28(1), 3-18. http://doi.org/10.1051/limn/1989011.

Venezuela, 13 jun 1962. Gaceta Oficial 26.873 de 13 de junho de 1962. Gacetas Oficiales de Venezuela 1962, Caracas. Retrieved in 2024, March, from https://www.gacetaoficial.io/venezuela/1962-06-13-gaceta-oficial-26873

Venezuela. Ministerio del Ambiente – MINAMB, 2006. Recursos hídricos de Venezuela. Caracas: MINAMB.
 

Submitted date:
10/06/2024

Accepted date:
25/06/2025

Publication date:
27/08/2025

68af5c08a953954db2622b6f alb Articles
Links & Downloads
2179-975X (Electrónico)
Acta Limnol. Bras. (Online) ©2025 Todos los derechos reservados.

Acta Limnol. Bras. (Online)

Share this page
Page Sections