First report of Branchinecta (Anostraca) in seasonal coastal pools in the Araucania region (Puaucho, 39°S, Chile)

Abstract

Abstract To date, he fairy shrimps (Anostraca) of Chilean inland waters have been poorly described. Those that were described mainly belong to the genus Branchinecta, and the reports are primarily restricted to shallow seasonal pools at the northern and southern extremes of Chile. The aim of the present study was to give a first description of Branchinecta rocaensis, reported from ephemeral coastal pools in the Puaucho dunes, situated in the Araucania region. The results of null model analysis revealed first, that species associations are random and that there is niche overlap, while according to the principal component analysis, B. rocaensis was present at sites with low conductivity, low total dissolved solids and low temperature values, but with a high abundance of ostracods. The results obtained would agree with similar observations for Branchinecta habitats in southern Chilean Patagonia.