Resumo

MERCADO-SALAS, Nancy F.  e  SUAREZ-MORALES, Eduardo. Morphology, diversity, and distribution of the Cyclopoida (Copepoda) from arid areas of central-north. Mexico. II. Eucyclopinae and biogeographic analysis. Hidrobiológica [online]. 2012, vol.22, n.2, pp.99-124. ISSN 0188-8897.

This work represents a continuation of a previous article about the cyclopoid copepod fauna in arid areas of north-central México, in this case about the subfamily Eucyclopinae. From samples previously collected (1985-2008) and from new samples, we reviewed the eucyclopine copepod fauna from this vast arid area of México. Three priority ecore-gions (CONABIO) were included, comprising part of the states of Aguascalientes, Zacatecas, San Luis Potosí, Durango, Chihuahua, and Coahuila. Up to 22 species of the Eucyclopinae were found, among which 18 are new state records. Diagnoses and taxonomic illustrations of the species recorded are provided together with a comparative analysis of the specimens examined. The records reported in this paper plus those previously published on the subfamily Cyclopinae, represented a 20% increase in the list of species of Cyclopoida from inland waters present in México. An overall bio-geographic analysis of the Cyclopoida was performed; it shows a high degree of endemism in this region (20%), similar to that detected for the group in the Yucatan Peninsula (19%). Using a Similitude Analysis (Jaccard) we found that the fauna of the northern arid areas is very similar to that of central México and southern United States. Another group was formed by the Caribbean, Central America, and southern México. There is a considerable divergence between the South American cyclopoid fauna with the rest of the continent.

Palavras-chave : Biogeography; endemism; free-living copepods; freshwater zooplankton.