Some species of Tropocyclops (Crustacea, Copepoda) from Brazil, with a key to the American species

Abstract

Collections from the Brazilian Planalto and Amazon regions contained several species of the cyclopoid copepod genus Tropocyclops . The morphology of T. schubarti is discussed; new records of this species extend its known distribution west-ward to the Brazilian Amazon and central highlands. Morphological characteristics of some populations of the T. prasinus-group are most similar to T. prasinus mexicanus and T. prasinus s. str. Tropocyclops federensis n. sp. and T. nananae n. sp. are described from the Distrito Federal. A key and chart are provided for the identification of species of Tropocyclops recorded from the Americas.