First Records of Two Neotropical Species of <i>Mesocyclops</i> (Copepoda) from Yukon Territory: Cases of Passive Dispersal?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14430/arctic1275Keywords:
Animal anatomy, Animal distribution, Animal migration, Animal taxonomy, Copepoda, Tundra ponds, Shingle Point, YukonAbstract
Two species of neotropical cyclopoid copepod crustaceans, Mesocyclops longisetus curvatus and Mesocyclops venezolanus, were collected from a pond at Shingle Point, Yukon Territory, Canada, in September 1974. This is the first record of M. longisetus curvatus north of the southern United States and the first record of M. venezolanus north of Honduras. We provide amplified descriptions of both species. Four additional congeners, M. americanus, M. edax, M. reidae, and M. ruttneri, are now known from the continental U.S. and Canada. We provide a key to the identification of the six species. We hypothesize that the specimens of M. longisetus curvatus and M. venezolanus may have been passively transported to Shingle Point by migrant shorebirds.
Key words: Copepoda, Cyclopoida, Mesocyclops, new record, Yukon, neotropical, zoogeography, passive dispersal, identification key
