Kotov A.A.1, Stifter P.2 2005. Notes on the genus Ilyocryptus Sars, 1862 (Cladocera: Anmopoda: Ilyocryptidae). 3. Interspecific hybrids I. spinosus x cuneatus from Ireland // Arthropoda Selecta. Vol.14. No.2: 103–109 [in English].
1 A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Leninsky Prospect 33, Moscow 119071 Russia.
2 Smetanova 25, Benatky nad Jizerou 29471 Czech Republic.
KEY WORDS: Cladocera, Anomopoda, Ilyocryptus, hybridisation, morphology, systematics, Europe.
ABSTRACT. Natural interspecific hybrids have been proposed for daphniid and bosminid cladocerans, but little evidence exists for hybrids occurring in other cladoceran families. Kotov [2001], however, did suspect the existence of hybrids in the genus Ilyocryptus Sars, 1862 (Cladocera: Anomopoda: Ilyocryptidae), referring to Romijn’s [1919] pictures. In present article, we provided evidence for natural hybridisation between I. spinosus Stifter, 1988 and I. cuneatus Stifter, 1988 in Lough Atorick, Ireland. Specimens from this lake shared diagnostic morphological characters with both I. spinosus and I. cuneatus. The chimeric nature of the morphology of the Lough Atorick specimens is unique among numerous Ilyocryptus populations examined. We propose that these peculiarities are reflections of a hybridisation. Although the proposed parent taxa do co-occur in some waters, we did not detect their co-occurrence in Lough Atorick.