Compound slides: a new technique for examining branchiopod head pores in optical microscopes

Abstract

Abstract A new technique for the optimization of the taxonomic study of cephalic openings in Branchiopoda is proposed here. The study of the cephalic openings in the various taxa that constitute this clade is of great importance. This is true not only for taxonomic studies, being fundamental for species identification in the Chydoridae, but also for phylogenetic and physiological investigations. For this, currently available protocols include the use of electron microscopic analysis, using the whole specimen, or the use of optical microscopy, by removing the cephalic shield from the specimen and mounting it on slides. This work presents a simple technique for the study of cephalic openings in Branchiopoda, facilitating their study, particularly for those associated with the Chydoridae.