A new species of Archaebranchinecta (Anostraca: Branchinectidae) from the South American Altiplano.

A detailed morphological comparison was carried out among specimens of several samples of Archaebranchinecta Rogers Coronel, 2011 from the Altiplano of Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina. Surprisingly, striking differences were found between Peruvian samples collected near the western shore of Lake Titicaca, and those from Bolivia taken southwardly, near the east coasts of River Desaguadero and Lake Poopó. Accordingly, the new species Archaebranchinecta aimara sp. nov. is described, representing the second specific entity of a genus that so far included only A. pollicifera (Harding, 1940). The main differential features between both species include: (a) size and shape of the three processes of basal segment of the male second antenna; (b) shape and protrusion degree of the pair of medioventral bulges in the male genital segments; (c) presence or absence of strong ventrolateral spine on the second genital segment of female; and (d) presence or absence of a pair of ventrolateral outgrowths in the brood pouch. This research contributes to our understanding of the biodiversity and endemism of the unique Altiplano region of South America.