Morphometric Characteristics and DNA Barcoding of Branchiopod Crustaceans of the Genus Artemia (Crustacea: Anostraca) from the Lakes of the Kulunda Lowland of Altai Krai

Artemia Leach, 1819 populations (Crustacea: Anostraca) from seven hypersaline lakes of Altai krai, Russia (Bolshoye Shklo, Bolshoye Yarovoye, Kulundinskoye, Kuchukskoye, Malinovoye, Maloye Shklo, and Tanatar III) were studied. DNA barcoding of these populations allowed us to identify two Artemia species: A. parthenogenetica Barigozzi, 1974 and A. sp. Information on morphological and biometric characteristics of adult individuals and peculiarities of their habitat is given. Most of the analyzed morphological traits in the studied populations demonstrated a great variability, which is apparently caused by the effect of environmental factors (including water salinity) on them. A morphometric index (minimum length of setae on the furcal branches), by which the studied populations of these two species differ significantly, was detected.