The biogeographical affinities of the fauna in episodically filled salt lakes: A study of Lake Eyre South,Australia

Lake Eyre South, a large and normally dry playa in central Australia, filled with water in January 1984. Water persisted until January 1985. Salinity rose between these dates from 25 to > 270. Monthly observations on the fauna were made to determine if it consisted of widely dispersed species, and thus to test the assumption that episodically filled salt lakes are unimportant as evolutionary loci for the fauna of salt lakes. It was concluded that most species in the lake were indeed widely dispersed. Particularly common components of the fauna were: Craterocephalus eyresii (Steindachner) (fish), an undescribed species of Diacypris (ostracod), Moina baylyi Forró (cladoceran), Tanytarsus barbitarsis Freeman (chironomid), Parartemia minuta Geddes (anostracan), and Microcyclops platypus (Kiefer) (copepod).