New morphological data on Kurzia longirostris (Daday, 1898) (Crustacea, Branchiopoda) from the Congo River Basin

Abstract

Africa is recognized for its high levels of endemism across many groups of organisms, including Cladocera. Several studies contributed to our understanding of the diversity and geographic distribution of some groups of Chydoridae on this continent. The literature, however, points to species presumed to occur naturally on other continents, suggesting that both diversity and endemism in Africa continue to be underestimated. Despite the absence of more comprehensive knowledge about the morphology of <i>Kurzia longirostris</i> (Daday, 1898) from the <i>terra typica</i> (Oriental region), our findings revealed small morphological differences between populations of the Congo River when compared with literature reports. Looking at the high morphological variability along the range of its geographic distribution, it becomes clear that <i>K. longirostris</i> might be indicated as a species complex. Thus, the idea of continental endemism should be tested in a future revision of the group.