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Issue: Vol. 5655 No. 1: 1 Jul. 2025
Type: Monograph
Published: 2025-07-01
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5655.1.1
Page range: 1-103
Abstract views: 30
PDF downloaded: 1

New species of Atopobathynella, Kimberleybathynella and Hexabathynella (Parabathynellidae, Bathynellacea) from the arid zones of Western Australia

Collections & Research; Western Australian Museum; 49 Kew Street; Welshpool; Western Australia 6106; Australia; Biologic Environmental Survey; East Perth; Western Australia 6004; Australia; Subterranean Research and Groundwater Ecology (SuRGE) Group; Trace and Environmental DNA (TrEnD) Laboratory; School of Molecular and Life Sciences; Curtin University; Perth 6102; WA; Australia
Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC). Dpto. Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva. C/ José Gutiérrez Abascal 2. 28006- Madrid; Spain
Biologic Environmental Survey; East Perth; Western Australia 6004; Australia
Subterranean Research and Groundwater Ecology (SuRGE) Group; Trace and Environmental DNA (TrEnD) Laboratory; School of Molecular and Life Sciences; Curtin University; Perth 6102; WA; Australia
Biologic Environmental Survey; East Perth; Western Australia 6004; Australia
School of Biological Sciences; The University of Adelaide; SA 5005; Australia
Crustacea 12S 18S COI Kimberley morphology multigene phylogeny Pilbara stygofauna taxonomy

Abstract

Parabathynellidae are small, interstitial, subterranean crustaceans, and an ancient and important element of the Australian aquifers. Many taxa have been discovered in the past few decades, especially in the north of Western Australia, due to surveys conducted on behalf of the mining industry for compliance with Western Australian environmental legislation. Molecular data has become a valuable tool in delimitation of species, especially for environmental impact assessments. However, formal descriptions rarely follow. Here we describe 12 new Parabathynellidae species and three additional putative species delimited initially by genetic data. Using an integrative approach we describe three species of Hexabathynella (H. miralgaensis sp. nov., H. julianae sp. nov., H. robeensis sp. nov.) and seven species of Atopobathynella (A. abelloana sp. nov., A. beasleyensis sp. nov., A. runhami sp. nov., A. jessicae sp. nov., A. shawensis sp. nov., A. rudini sp. nov., A. pervulgata sp. nov.) from the Pilbara region; and two species of Kimberleybathynella (K. ordensis sp. nov. and K. callani sp. nov.) from the Kimberley region. A multigene phylogeny was reconstructed from DNA sequences of the Cytochrome Oxidase c Subunit I (COI), 12S rRNA (12S), and nuclear 18S rRNA (18S) for representative taxa from Australia and other countries. The phylogeny highlighted interesting relationships between species and genera, and raises doubts regarding the validity of the genus Kimberleybathynella.

 

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How to Cite

Perina, G., Camacho, A.I., Morgan, L., Lawrie, A., Floeckner, S. & Guzik, M.T. (2025) New species of Atopobathynella, Kimberleybathynella and Hexabathynella (Parabathynellidae, Bathynellacea) from the arid zones of Western Australia. Zootaxa, 5655 (1), 1–103. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5655.1.1