| Six <i>Artemia</i> populations from coastal and inland sites in Chile, ranging from 20 to 50 degrees latitude south, were compared morphologically. The study included reference samples of <i>A. franciscana</i> (San Fransisco Bay, California-USA) and <i>A. persimilis</i> (Buenos Aires, Argentina). These species are likely to be found in Chile. Samples from Peru (Piura) and Brazil (Macau, Rio Grande do Norte) are two known examples of deliberate introduction of <i>A. franciscana</i>. The hypothesis of <i>A. franciscana</i> being the dominant species in South America was tested by multivariate morphological analyses based on ten body measurements. In addition, laboratory cross-fertility tests were... |
