Abstract
In Brazil and Columbia, we found three different species of Eurycercus Baird, 1843 (Cladocera: Eurycercidae), belonging to two different subgenera: (1) E. (Eurycercus) cf. lamellatus (O. F. Müller, 1776), (2) E. (Bullatifrons) meridionalis sp. nov. and (3) E. (Bullatifrons) dumonti sp. nov. Appearance of the first species in Brazil could be a result of introduction due to human activities. The two other species are apparently Neotropical endemics. There is no opportunity to associate the previously described E. lamellatus var. minuta Birabén, Citation1939 with any taxa found by us, because the type material is lost and no eurycercids are present in its type locality now; therefore this taxon is species incorrigenda with minimal chance of being re-evaluated.
Acknowledgements
We are very grateful to Professor N.N. Smirnov for help during different phases of our work and supplying us with some samples, Dr J.C. Paggi for valuable consultations, Professor H.J. Dumont, Dr F.A. Lansac-Tôha and M.Sci. Gilmar Perbiche Neves for the samples with Eurycercus from South America. This work is supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (grant 09-04-00201-a for E.I.B. and A.A.K.), the ‘Biodiversity’ Programme of the Presidium of Russian Academy of Sciences (for E.I.B. and A.A.K.) and Russian Science Support Foundation (for A.A.K.), and the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (grant 555288/2006-4 for L.M.A.E.L.).