Registro oficial y observaciones morfológicas de Cyclestheria hislopi (Baird, 1859) (Branchiopoda: Cyclestheridae) en la Provincia del Guayas, Ecuador

Abstract

The Branchiopod Cyclestheria hislopi is considered a circumtropical organism belonging
to the family Cyclestheridae, a taxon that currently comprises a complex number of
species with records in different parts of the world. Twelve specimens of C. hislopi were
obtained from the roots of Eichhornia sp. in rice paddies in the Daule canton during the
flooding phase and from the Río Perdido wetland. The specimens were found in different
developmental stages and were dissected for description. A possible relationship between
growth rings and a restructuring of morphological ornamentation was observed. This
study officially records C. hislopi for northwestern South America and reinforces the need
for a comparative morphological study to assign the appropriate epithet to American
populations.