Cladocera (Crustacea: Branchiopoda) of Cat Tien National Park, South Vietnam

• Main Authors: Artem Y. Sinev, Nikolai M. Korovchinsky
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: PAGEPress Publications 2013-08-01
• Series: Journal of Limnology
• Subjects: Cladocera, distribution, Cat Tien National Park, South East Asia, South Vietnam.
• Online Access: http://www.jlimnol.it/index.php/jlimnol/article/view/694

<p class="p1">Cladocera of Cat Tien National Park, South Vietnam, and the surrounding agricultural area, were surveyed during the spring of 2009 <span style="font-size: 10px;">(onset of the wet season) and autumn 2010 (end of the wet season). The studied water bodies included two large lakes (Bau Sau and Bau </span><span style="font-size: 10px;">Chim), small lakes and ponds, temporary pools, rivers and streams, as well as rice fields and ponds in an agricultural area beyond the </span><span style="font-size: 10px;">boundaries of the National Park. Fifty three species of Cladocera were found, 18 of them new for Vietnam. Distribution and taxonomical </span><span style="font-size: 10px;">status of the species are discussed. Of the recorded species, 58.5% (31) were found only in the National Park, 34% (18) both in the National </span><span style="font-size: 10px;">Park and the agricultural area, and only 7.5% (4) exclusively in the agricultural area. Of the 20 species new for Vietnam, only one was </span><span style="font-size: 10px;">found both in the National Park and the agricultural area, all others were found in the National Park only. Such a difference can be directly </span><span style="font-size: 10px;">attributed to the loss of natural habitats (forest ponds and streams) in agricultural areas and to the pollution by pesticides. Our study shows </span><span style="font-size: 10px;">the importance of surveys in pristine and protected areas, for the full evaluation of regional microcrustacean richness.</span></p>