First record of the temperate species Daphnia curvirostris Eylmann, 1887 emend. Johnson, 1952 (Cladocera: Daphniidae) in Mexico and its demographic characteristics in relation to algal food density

Daphnia curvirostris is a typical European species but has also been recorded in Canada and USA. This is a new record for Mexico and the taxon was collected from the Chimaliapan wetlands (State of Mexico, Mexico). Taxonomic descriptions of it are provided using both light and scanning-electron microscopes. When cultured on the green alga Scenedesmus acutus at three food levels (low, 0.5 × 10⁶; medium, 1.0 × 10⁶; high, 2.0 × 10⁶ cells ml⁻¹), D. curvirostris had an average lifespan that ranged from 13.5 to 17.6 days and a generation time of between 11.8 and 16.8 days. The gross reproduction rate was about ten neonates per female, regardless of the food concentration, while the net reproduction rate was about 4–5 neonates per female. Food level only had a significant impact on generation time. Results are discussed in light of the invasive nature of daphniids and their possible impact on locally occurring cladoceran species.