Comparative phylogeography has become a powerful approach in exploring hidden or cryptic diversity within widespread species and understanding how historical biogeographical factors shape the modern patterns of their distribution. Most comparative phylogeographic studies so far focus on terrestrial vertebrate taxa, while aquatic invertebrates (and especially freshwater invertebrates) remain uns...

The larval development of the nematode Contracaecum rudolphii (Rudolphi, 1819), a common parasite of the proventriculus of cormorants, was experimentally studied. Within the eggs cultivated in freshwater under laboratory temperatures of 20-22 degrees C, the developing larva undergoes two moults on days 4-5, attaining the third larval stage. Most of the ensheathed third-stage larvae, 291-457 mic...

The relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning is a central issue in ecology. Previous studies have shown that producer diversity can impact the consumer community via predator-prey interactions. However, direct observations of this relationship remain rare, in particular for aquatic ecosystems. In this research, the relationship between phytoplankton diversity (species richnes...

Members of the Eucyclops graeteri species complex are widely distributed in European groundwaters and share some morphocharacters such as: a long aesthetasc on ninth segment female antennula, short or very reduced spinule row ("serra") furcal rami, lateral hairiness 5th thoracic somite strongly reduced, few no hairs distal margin intercoxal sclerite 4th legs pair. All these characters subject t...

The freshwater copepod genus Eucyclops contains many supposedly cosmopolitan species whose taxonomic status is still under discussion; some of them represent species complexes. The problem is not exclusive to these widespread species; there are several American Eucyclops needing a taxonomic re-evaluation. Based on the examination of Friedrich Kiefer's collection in Karlsruhe, Germany, the type ...