The Inland Water Copepod Fauna of a Traditional Rural Landscape in a Mediterranean Island (Crustacea, Copepoda)

Abstract

Although the Mediterranean area is a well-known hotspot of biological diversity, the crustacean assemblages inhabiting inland waters of the Mediterranean islands are to date unevenly known, and detailed information is missing for most taxa and areas. In the frame of this paper, we provide a checklist and a characterization of the copepod fauna of the lentic water bodies occurring in a traditional rural landscape of Sicily, where the co-existence of agriculture, woodlands, and pastoral activities lead to the presence of a wide range of different aquatic habitats. Overall, 22 copepod species belonging to the orders Calanoida, Cyclopoida, and Harpacticoida have been found in the 92 surveyed sites, stressing the conservation value of the area. In the study area, species widespread in the west Palaearctic region co-exist with strictly Mediterranean elements and a small but biogeographically significant group of species with northern or Balkan affinities, which support the role of the investigated area as a refugium for species that colonised Sicily during Pleistocene climate fluctuations and are now restricted to the more wet parts of the island. A single non-native species has been found, and its distribution is currently limited to permanent, man-made reservoirs.