Acta Biológica Colombiana (Jan 1999)
Composición taxonómica del zooplancton del embalse de Betania, departamento del Huila, Colombia
Abstract
To determine the species composition of the zooplancton in the reservoir Betania (altitude; 560 m.a.s.l.; area: 7.4 km2; vol: 1971 x 106 m3; mean depht 28 m), at seven sites and several depths, bimonthly net samples (100 and 200 microns mesh size) were taken during 1991. Alltogether 24 species were found: Thermocyclops decipiens (Crustacea, Copepoda), Moina sp., Ceriodaphnia cornuta y Allona sp. (Crustacea, Cladocera); 19 species of rotífers, of which 7 belong to the genus Brachionus, as well as larvas of the dipter Chaoborus sp. For the first time Brachionus havanaensis, B. falcatus falcatus, b. quadridentatus, y Platyias cuadricornis f. brevispinus were found in Colombia. The species composition was compared with the composition of other lakes and comparison shows that the Betania reservoir has a typical species composition for warms tropical lakes.