ISSN:
1573-5117
Keywords:
freshwater zooplankton
;
wetlands
;
Algeria
;
biogeography
;
Afrotropical relict fauna
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Biology
Notes:
Abstract Two wetland complexes in the El Kala area, northeast Algeria, were sampled for zooplankton over a two-month period (mid-May to mid-July 1993). Some samples from 1976 and 1978 were also studied. A total of 98 taxa (51 species of Microcrustacea and 47 species of Rotifera) are recorded. Twenty-seven of these (26.5% overall) are new to Algeria and/or to the Maghreb and Africa. A significant fraction of Afrotropical species was found in all four groups, beside species of northern (European) origin, and at least one cyclopoid copepod with an Irano-Turanian range. These results confirm the El Kala wetlands as an important relict pocket of species of various historical and geographical origin, and highlight the urgency of safeguarding these sites.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1003538730152
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