Abstract

Three populations of Cambarellus spp. were found in three different dams in the municipality of Huimilpan, Querétaro, México. Each dam has different water quality and biota composition. Specimens collected from two sites (Nuevo Vegil and San Pedro) had morphological characteristics of C. montezumae individuals, whereas, individuals from the third dam (El Vegil) had a combination of phenotypic traits of C. chapalanus, C. lermensis and C. montezumae. As a consequence, the taxonomic determination of this population could not be addressed by morphological methods. The objective of this study was to assess the taxonomic status of the three crayfish populations from Huimilpan with an ecophysiological approach. No significant differences were found among these three populations when daily oxygen consumption and nitrogen excretion rates were compared, whether in field or in laboratory studies. However, the circadian rhythm of the population from El Vegil was completely different from that of the other two populations. Our results suggest that these populations belong to the same species, perhaps C. montezumae, but the apparent cause for the physiological differentiation is environmental stress (pollution).

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