Alona iberica, new species: first evidence of noncosmopolitanism within the A. karua complex (Cladocera: Chydoridae)

ABSTRACT Alonaiberica, new species, belongs to the A. karua complex and differs from an Australian population and previous descriptions of A. karua (King) G. O. Sars, 1888, in having: (1) the posterodorsal comer of carapace higher, (2) the preanal angle of the postabdomen higher, (3) the postanal portion of the postabdomen longer, (4) the PP/IP ratio greater, (5) the tip of the labrum rounded, and (6) the ridges on carapace more prominent. Alona iberica inhabits temporary and weakly mineralized waters over sandy or rocky substrates in semiarid regions. This new species is endemic to the western part of the Iberian Peninsula and Minorca.