Boeckella palustris
Encyclopedia
Boeckella palustris is a species
of copepod
that lives in South America
. It is found in shallow pools, including the highest body of water ever to have yielded a crustacean
, at an altitude of 5930 m (19,455.4 ft) in the Andes
. It was described
independently by two scientists in 1955, using material brought back by different European expeditions to the same region.
by the form of the fifth leg in males.
–Punan
distribution, being found in southern Peru
, and close to the border between Bolivia
and Chile
. It lives in "small, shallow bodies of water", a habitat
it shares with Boeckella calcaris.
Boeckella palustris shares the record for the crustacean living at the highest altitude with the fairy shrimp
Branchinecta brushi
; both were found on December 13, 1988 in the same pool at an altitude of 5930 metres (19,455.4 ft) near the summit of the stratovolcano
Cerro Paniri (22.08°S 68.25°W) in the Antofagasta Region
of Chile
. The only higher record, which claimed that Branchinecta paludosa occurred at 97000 feet (29,565.6 m) is "almost certainly a typographical error".
in 1992 by Ian A. E. Bayly of Monash University
, Australia
, as no reliable character could be found to distinguish the two. The species was independently described as Pseudoboeckella peruviensis in 1955 by Heinz Löffler using material from a 1953–1954 expedition to the Andes under Hans Kinzl
, but Harding's description has priority
, having been published on July 29, 1955, eleven weeks before Löffler's paper was read, on October 13, 1955.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of copepod
Copepod
Copepods are a group of small crustaceans found in the sea and nearly every freshwater habitat. Some species are planktonic , some are benthic , and some continental species may live in limno-terrestrial habitats and other wet terrestrial places, such as swamps, under leaf fall in wet forests,...
that lives in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. It is found in shallow pools, including the highest body of water ever to have yielded a crustacean
Crustacean
Crustaceans form a very large group of arthropods, usually treated as a subphylum, which includes such familiar animals as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles. The 50,000 described species range in size from Stygotantulus stocki at , to the Japanese spider crab with a leg span...
, at an altitude of 5930 m (19,455.4 ft) in the Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
. It was described
Species description
A species description or type description is a formal description of a newly discovered species, usually in the form of a scientific paper. Its purpose is to give a clear description of a new species of organism and explain how it differs from species which have been described previously, or are...
independently by two scientists in 1955, using material brought back by different European expeditions to the same region.
Description
Males of B. palustris are 1.5–2.3 mm (0.0590551181102362–0.0905511811023622 ) long, and females 1.9 millimetre. The antennules are relatively short. B. palustris can be distinguished from other members of the genus BoeckellaBoeckella
Boeckella is a genus of copepods in the family Centropagidae. It contains 53 species, of which five are listed as vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List – the Australian endemics B. bispinosa, B. geniculata, B. nyoraensis and B. shieli, and B...
by the form of the fifth leg in males.
Distribution and ecology
Boeckella palustris has a PáramoPáramo
The term páramo can refer to a variety of ecosystems. Some ecologists describe the páramo broadly as “all high, tropical, montane vegetation above the continuous timberline”. A more narrow term classifies the páramo according to its regional placement - specifically located in “the northern Andes...
–Punan
Puna grassland
The Puna grassland ecoregion, of the montane grasslands and shrublands biome, is found in the central Andes Mountains of South America. It is considered one of the eight Natural Regions in Peru, but extends south as far as northern Argentina and Chile....
distribution, being found in southern Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, and close to the border between Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
and Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
. It lives in "small, shallow bodies of water", a habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
it shares with Boeckella calcaris.
Boeckella palustris shares the record for the crustacean living at the highest altitude with the fairy shrimp
Fairy shrimp
Anostraca is one of the four orders of crustaceans in the class Branchiopoda; its members are also known as fairy shrimp. They are usually long . Most species have 20 body segments, bearing 11 pairs of leaf-like phyllopodia , and the body lacks a carapace...
Branchinecta brushi
Branchinecta brushi
Branchinecta brushi is a species of fairy shrimp found at an altitude of in the Chilean Andes.-Distribution and discovery:The type specimens of B. brushi were collected on December 13, 1988 by Charles F. Brush during an attempt to break the world record for the world's highest SCUBA dive...
; both were found on December 13, 1988 in the same pool at an altitude of 5930 metres (19,455.4 ft) near the summit of the stratovolcano
Stratovolcano
A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a tall, conical volcano built up by many layers of hardened lava, tephra, pumice, and volcanic ash. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile and periodic, explosive eruptions...
Cerro Paniri (22.08°S 68.25°W) in the Antofagasta Region
Antofagasta Region
The II Antofagasta Region is one of Chile's fifteen first-order administrative divisions. It comprises three provinces, Antofagasta, El Loa and Tocopilla...
of Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
. The only higher record, which claimed that Branchinecta paludosa occurred at 97000 feet (29,565.6 m) is "almost certainly a typographical error".
Taxonomy
Boeckella palustris was originally described as Pseudoboeckella palustris by John Philip Harding in 1955, using material gathered by the Percy Sladen Trust Expedition to Lake Titicaca in 1937. The genus Pseudoboeckella was subsumed into BoeckellaBoeckella
Boeckella is a genus of copepods in the family Centropagidae. It contains 53 species, of which five are listed as vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List – the Australian endemics B. bispinosa, B. geniculata, B. nyoraensis and B. shieli, and B...
in 1992 by Ian A. E. Bayly of Monash University
Monash University
Monash University is a public university based in Melbourne, Victoria. It was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. Monash is a member of Australia's Group of Eight and the ASAIHL....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, as no reliable character could be found to distinguish the two. The species was independently described as Pseudoboeckella peruviensis in 1955 by Heinz Löffler using material from a 1953–1954 expedition to the Andes under Hans Kinzl
Hans Kinzl
Hans Kinzl was an Austrian geographer and mountain mapper.Hans Kinzl is best known for his 1930's maps of the Cordillera Blanca mountain range located in Peru. He later became the head of the Geographical Department of Innsbruck's Alpine University....
, but Harding's description has priority
Principle of Priority
thumb|270px|Boa manditraIn zoology, the scientific study of animals, the Principle of Priority is one of the guiding principles of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, defined by Article 23....
, having been published on July 29, 1955, eleven weeks before Löffler's paper was read, on October 13, 1955.