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Issue: Vol. 4027 No. 1: 1 Oct. 2015
Type: Article
Published: 2015-10-01
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4027.1.5
Page range: 117–129
Abstract views: 23
PDF downloaded: 1

Description of a new species of Niphargus (Crustacea: Amphipoda:
Niphargidae): the first record of a lake ecomorph in the Carpathian Mountains

Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty,University of Ljubljana, Večna pot 111, Ljubljana 1000, Slovenia Institute of Zoology, Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade Studentski trg 3, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty,University of Ljubljana, Večna pot 111, Ljubljana 1000, Slovenia
Institute of Zoology, Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade Studentski trg 3, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty,University of Ljubljana, Večna pot 111, Ljubljana 1000, Slovenia
Crustacea Amphipoda Niphargus lake ecomorph Carpathians Niphargus mirocensis sp. n. 28S rRNA COI

Abstract

We describe and phylogenetically characterize a new species Niphargus mirocensis from Mt. Miroč, eastern Serbia. This species shows distinct morphology typical for a lake ecomorph of niphargid amphipod, i.e. large and stout body, elongated appendages and raptorial gnathopods and presents the first record of this ecomorph in Carpathian Mountains. Phylogenetic analyses based on Cytochrome Oxidase Subunit 1 gene (COI), Histone (H3) and 28S rRNA (28S) suggests that species is nested within a clade of lake ecomorphs spread in Italy and Central Dinaric Region. The new finding is geographic extension of clade’s range, the species of which are generally narrow endemics.