Soesbergen, M.

The launch of the Dutch Caribbean Species Register by Naturalis Biodiversity Center (2017)—https://www.dutchcaribbeanspecies.org/—raised the question of which branchiopods originate from this part of the Netherlands. To answer this question, surveys of literature and of the Naturalis collection were conducted. The additional samples (collected in 2003–2005 and 2008) were analyzed. We present an annotated checklist of the Branchiopoda of the Dutch Caribbean. The Kingdom of the Netherlands includes the Dutch mainland and six Caribbean islands. From the Caribbean part of the kingdom, an annotated list of all known species is given. Fifteen taxa and three genera have been encountered and the species are discussed. To date, six species of large branchiopods and nine species of cladocerans are known. Two more genera of cladocerans have been found. One species is endemic to Bonaire.

Keywords: Crustacea, Cladocera, Notostraca, Anostraca, Spinicaudata, Ctenopoda, Anomopoda, Onychopoda

From a brackish lagoon on St. Maarten (Dutch Caribbean) plankton samples were collected from 2003 to 2005. The samples were taken and physical-chemical data were measured by the second author. The samples were analyzed by the first author. Three rotifers belonging to the Filinia terminalis-group were found. They differ in morphology from described species. The physical-chemical results show that the brackish habitat in which they are found is very deviating from their normal freshwater habitat. These differences suggest the presence of cryptic species. The results contribute to the knowledge of the morphology and the ecology of the Filinia terminalis-group. It is stressed that records of animals found outside the known geographical and ecological range should be accompanied with a good descriptions to prevent force fitting and, a priori, creating very eurytopic cosmopolitan species.