Cladocera (Crustacea; Branchiopoda) from the Brazilian Cerrado – the richness and species composition for Goiás state
Goiás state, situated in the Cerrado biome harbors several water bodies (streams, rivers, wetlands, ponds, reservoirs) belonging to the Paraná, São Francisco, and Tocantins-Araguaia hydrographic regions. However, there are several gaps in the knowledge about the diversity and geographic distribution of aquatic invertebrates in the state, including microcrustaceans of the Superorder Cladocera. In our study, we analyzed data from the literature sources and collected samples in new localities between macrophytes and sediments. The findings suggest the occurrence of 92 species in Goiás state and the presence of five new reports: Scapholeberisfreyi, Grimaldina freyi, Parvalona parva, Chydorusbrevilabris, and Picripleuroxus quasidenticulatus. Alona elisae is endemic for region studied. Such results indicate the megadiversity of cladocerans in Cerrado biome, large than the other countries from the Neotropical zone. Despite the increase in sampling effort for the geographic region studied, many parts of Goiás state are still unsampled. This suggests the still unknown diversity potential for the region.