The Afro-Asian cyclopoid Mesocyclops aspericornis (Crustacea: Copepoda) in eastern Mexico with comments on the distribution of exotic copepods

Abstract

The Afro-Asian freshwater copepod Mesocyclops aspericornis (Daday, 1906), deemed as an exotic species in the Americas, is known to occur disjunctly in Mexico, South America, and the insular Caribbean. Adult females of this species were recorded.from samples collected in the state of Veracruz, on the Atlantic coast of Mexico.The morphology of these specimens is identical in most characters to those described or depicted in previous taxonomic accounts. The 3 known Mexican populations belong to the "western" group of M. aspericornis. The subtle morphological variations among the Mexican populations and their isolation suggest that each could be the result of independent events of dispersion or introduction via aquaculture. This is the third confirmed report of M. aspericornis in Mexico, but the first one in the Atlantic side of Middle America. The states of Tabasco and Chiapas harbour 3 of the 4 species of exotic freshwater copepods known to occur in Mexico.

Freshwater Diversity of Zooplankton from Mexico: Historical Review of Some of the Main Groups

“…The most updated information for Mexico includes 82 cyclopid species with members of three subfamilies: Halicyclopinae, with five species in two genera considered as endemic for the Yucatan Peninsula [208,209], Cyclopinae with 46 species in 11 genera, and Eucyclopinae with 31 species in six genera (Supplementary Table S1). The latter two subfamilies are the most widespread in Mexico, with endemic, introduced, and exotic species [206,210,211]. In this period, Suárez-Morales and Walsh [212] described two new species of Eucyclops, and Mercado-Salas et al [213] described six new species of the same genus from different parts of Mexico, proposing new taxonomic characters.…”

“…As for copepods, Suárez-Morales and Arroyo-Bustos [223] recorded Skistodiaptomus pallidus as an intra-continental exotic species in Sinaloa, north of Mexico. The Euro-Asian cyclopoid Thermocyclops crassus is also an introduced species [210], as are two other species of Mesocyclops (M. pehpeiensis and M. thermocyclopoides) [224][225][226].…”

Especies acuáticas invasoras en México

“…No se sabe de invasiones de este cangrejo en ambientes costeros o de agua dulce de México Hendrickx, 2012). Al respecto, la Conabio incluye a E. sinensis como una especie no establecida en México, pero con un alto riesgo de invasión en costas mexicanas (Mendoza et al, 2011a). Bentley (2011) menciona que parece casi inevitable que E. sinensis invada más estuarios y ríos del mundo, pero prevenir la introducción del cangrejo manopla, como sucede con otras especies invasivas, es el medio más efectivo para evitar que la invasión tome lugar.…”