Karualona fatimae Sinev et Semenyuk, 2023

26. Karualona fatimae Sinev et Semenyuk, 2023

Localities and specimens found: 50 – 11♀, 5♀ ov, 9♀ em, 12j; 51 – 3♀, 1j.

Distribution and ecology. This is another lately discovered member of the genus Karualona from Southeast Asia, which was previously identified in the region usually as K. karua (King, 1853) or K. cf. karua ( Sinev & Semenyuk 2023) . Karualona fatimae was described in Vietnam and is still known here only from Cat Tien National Park (Dong Nai Province), including before its description as K. karua ( Sinev & Korovchinsky 2013; Sinev & Semenyuk 2021, 2023). We also found K. fatimae only in this territory. According to Sinev & Semenyuk (2023), previous references of K. karua in Chinese Hainan Island and some locations in Thailand and Malaysia ( Sinev & Yusoff 2015, 2018; Sinev et al. 2015; Tiang-nga et al. 2020) belong to K. fatimae as well. Dadykin et al. (2024b) report the presence of K. fatimae in Central Asia ( Tajikistan), where it was previously listed as Alonella karua King, 1853 . In general, the currently known distribution of K. fatimae covers Sri Lanka, Central and Southeast Asia, South China and probably India ( Sinev & Semenyuk 2023; Dadykin et al. 2024b).

Karualona fatimae is characterized as a phytophilous cladoceran.It inhabits slow-flowing rivers, lakes, reservoirs, ponds, rice fields, swamps and some temporary water bodies ( Sinev & Semenyuk 2023). In our material, this species was detected in a permanent forest lake, in the rhizosphere of floating plants (see Appendix 1).