Branchinella coloradensis, Packard, 1874

Rogers, D. Christopher & Aguilar, Andres, 2020, Fig. 8 in Stiatoandricus nievesaldreyi Cuesta-Porta & Melika & Nicholls & Stone & Pujade-Villar 2022, Zoological Studies 59 (14), pp. 1-17 : 11

“ coloradensis ” species group

Diagnosis: Eyes normal; male second antennae subcylindrical, generally with the proximal antennomere medial surface covered in scattered, cylindrical spines, and the distal antennomere laterally flattened with apex directed medially; female second antennae lacking a medial spine; body lacking sensory papillae; female thoracic segments without dorsal projections, (except B. coloradensis , which has dorsolateral hemispherical protrusions on thoracic segments I–VIII); first and last limb pairs shortest; ovaries biramal, extending anteriorly from the genital segments into the thorax as far as thoracic segment IX or VIII; brood pouch fusiform or cylindrical, extending to abdominal segment V or VI; testes uniramal (biramal in B. dissimilis , extending anteriorly to thoracic segment VIII) extending posteriorly from genital segments into abdominal segment III; cercopods, fringed with setae, flattened and shorter than last two abdominal segments. This species group is associated with substrates containing 0–5% gypsum, 0–30% calcium carbonate, a substrate salinity of 0–8 mS/cm, and is strongly associated with low levels of calcium salts ( Rogers 2014a).

Species attributed

Branchinecta coloradensis Packard, 1874 (sensu Lynch, 1964)

= Branchinecta shantzi Mackin, 1952

Branchinecta dissimilis Lynch, 1972

Branchinecta oriena Belk & Rogers, 2002