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''Branchinecta brushi'' is a species of fairy shrimp found at an altitude of in the Chilean Andes.
The type specimens of ''B. brushi'' were collected on December 13, 1988 by Charles F. Brush during an attempt to break the world record for the world's highest SCUBA dive. This attempt took place in a small pool, across, at an altitude of near the summit of the
Distribution and discovery
The type specimens of ''B. brushi'' were collected on December 13, 1988 by Charles F. Brush during an attempt to break the world record for the world's highest SCUBA dive. This attempt took place in a small pool, across, at an altitude of near the summit of the stratovolcano
A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a conical volcano built up by many layers (strata) of hardened lava and tephra. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile with a summit crater and per ...
Cerro Paniri () in the Antofagasta Region of Chile.
''B. brushi'' was collected, along with some other species, from below of ice. The specimens were stored in 70% ethanol at the Peabody Museum of Natural History and the United States National Museum for nearly 20 years before being re-examined; the species was eventually described in 2010, and given the specific epithet
In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...
''brushi'' to commemorate Brush.
Description
Males are long, while females are only . In common with other fairy shrimp, the males bear complex structures on their second antennae, which are used in mating. ''B. brushi'' closely resembles ''Branchinecta valchetana
''Branchinecta'' is a genus of crustacean in family Branchinectidae. It includes around 50 species, found on all continents except Australia. ''Branchinecta gigas'', the giant fairy shrimp, is the largest species in the order, with a length of up ...
'', from which it differs in the form of the antennae and the gonopods.
Ecology
''Branchinecta brushi'' shares the record for the crustacean living at the highest altitude with thecopepod
Copepods (; meaning "oar-feet") are a group of small crustaceans found in nearly every freshwater and saltwater habitat (ecology), habitat. Some species are planktonic (inhabiting sea waters), some are benthos, benthic (living on the ocean floor) ...
''Boeckella palustris
''Boeckella palustris'' is a species of copepod found in South America. It inhabits shallow pools, including the highest body of water ever to have yielded a crustacean, at an altitude of in the Andes. It was described independently by two scie ...
'', also found in the same pool. The only higher record, which claimed that ''Branchinecta paludosa'' occurred at is "almost certainly a typographical error". Crustaceans are rarely associated with life at high altitudes, but fairy shrimp such as ''B. brushi'' produce dormant cysts which are capable of surviving prolonged desiccation
Desiccation () is the state of extreme dryness, or the process of extreme drying. A desiccant is a hygroscopic (attracts and holds water) substance that induces or sustains such a state in its local vicinity in a moderately sealed container.
...
, and aid in dispersal. The closed nature of the water body probably reduces the risk of predation, allowing ''B. brushi'' to complete its life cycle.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q390268 Branchiopoda Invertebrates of Chile Crustaceans described in 2010