Taxonomic inventory of shrimps of cavally river in Cote D'ivoire

Background: The present study is the first of the genre in the upper course of Cavally. Objectives: It aims to make a systematic inventory of shrimps. Methods: Samplings were made on the upper portion of the river in a mining environment and then upstream and downstream of this area between September 2015 and August 2016. Shrimps were caught monthly using dip nets and keep nets. Results: Totally 1051 individuals were harvested. They belong to the families of Palaemonidae and Atyidae. Five valid species (Macrobrachium vollenhovenii, M. macrobrachion, M. felicinum, M. thysi and M. dux) and five invalid species (Caridina sp, Macrobrachium sp1, M. sp2, M. sp3 and M. sp4) have been identified. Their distribution along the river seems to be negatively influenced by the mining area where fewer numbers species were recorded than those of the upstream and downstream sites. Conclusion: This study revealed the existence of new taxa for Côte d’Ivoire.