Finding of the calanoid copepod Eudiaptomus gracilis (Sars) in perifluvial environments of the Po River

Chemical characteristics. trophic status and plankton communities of two marginal aquatic environments along the middle course of the Po River were analyzed: an artificial basin created by sand quarrying (Lake of Isola Giarola) in Province of Piacenza and a small pond (called "budrio" in Italian) in the Province of Parma. Particularly interesting was the finding in these two waterbodies of the calanoid copepod Eudiaptomus gracilis. This species is widely diffused throughout Europe but new in Italy. Although it has been reported at several sites since the end of the last century, subsequent systematic revisions have always excluded its presence in Italy.