A revision of the Australian endemic clam shrimp genus Limnadopsis Spencer & Hall (Crustacea: Branchiopoda: Spinicaudata: Limnadiidae)
Abstract
Species of Limnadopsis Spencer & Hall occur in temporary pools in arid and semi-arid areas of Australia. The genus is redefined and Limnadopsium Novojilov treated as a junior synonym. As in other spinicaudatans, most morphological characters are variable, this variability is given in expanded and rewritten descriptions of the three previously described species: L. birchii Baird, L. parvispinus Henry, and L. tatei Spencer & Hall. Five additional species from northern and western parts of Australia are described: L. minuta n.sp., L. multilineata n.sp., L. occidentalis n.sp., L. paradoxa n.sp., and L. pilbarensis n.sp. Limnadopsis brunneus Spencer & Hall is considered a nomen dubium. The most useful features for discriminating species are the shape of the carapace, the relative development of the dorsal carinae of the carapace, the number and relative size of the telsonic denticles, the number of spines on the cercopods, and the surface morphology of the eggs. A key is provided for all species. Western Australia has six species; much of the rest of Australia has 2–3 species, but none has been recorded from relatively well watered Victoria, Tasmania, and north Queensland.
