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Biological aspects of the Spinicaudata (Branchiopoda, Diplostraca) in the largest alluvial wetland in Croatia

Lonjsko Polje (Croatia) is among the largest alluvial wetlands in Europe. Temporary ponds that are the natural habitat for spinicaudatan branchiopods are very abundant in the area. We determined the time of occurrence, length of the life span, and the sexual structure and habitat characteristics of populations of Spinicaudata. Research took place from May to December 2004 at five sites. Three spinicaudatans were found: Cyzicus tetracerus (Krynicki, 1830) in spring (May to July) and autumn (late October), Eoleptestheria ticinensis (Balsamo-Crivelli, 1859) in spring (mid-May) and Leptestheria dahalacensis (Rüppell, 1837) in summer (mid-July). The length of their life span was 2-4 weeks. The populations of Cyzicus tetracerus, Eoleptestheria ticinensis, and Leptestheria dahalacensis consisted of males and females in an approximately 1 : 1 sex ratio. Ecological aspects of the habitat, including physico-chemical characteristics of the water as well as the structure and abundance of the associated fauna, were also observed.

Spinicaudata; population dynamics; Lonjsko Polje; Croatia

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