Diversity of freshwater cladoceran species (Crustacea: Branchiopoda) in South Korea

Abstract

We investigated cladoceran fauna from 71 study areas in South Korea. Sixty-two taxa were found, of which there were 30 planktonic and 25 littoral-benthic cladoceran species. In the present study, taxa of cladocera were identified by biographical traits. Species endemic to the Far East were found in the northernmost areas of South Korea, whereas Palearctic species were found in the southernmost areas. Generally, coexistence of cladoceran species in northern and southern areas was observed, implying possible faunistic complexes of cladocera in various areas of South Korea. We believe that further studies conducted in different habitats will greatly expand our knowledge of the biodiversity of cladocera in South Korea.