Distribution of Boeckella poppei (Copepoda: Centropagidae) in the region of the Wilhelm Archipelago (Kyiv Peninsula, Maritime Antarctica)

Copepod Boeckella poppei was first recorded in a freshwater body of the Wilhelm Archipelago (Kyiv Peninsula, Maritime Antarctica) in 2008. This crustacean is one of the main consumers of filamentous algae in freshwater Antarctic bodies and is used as an indicator species in freshwater ecosystems. This work aimed to research the current distribution of B. poppei within the Argentine Islands of this archipelago. The second population of this crustacean species was discovered on the Nob Island at the beginning of this research in 2010. Boeckella poppei was also recorded in 33 freshwater bodies of eight other islands in 2020. During the final stage was analyzed the adaptation of B. poppei to the extreme conditions of existence in the freshwater reservoirs of Antarctica and the main ways of the spread of this species over short and long distances in this region of the planet.