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Issue: Vol. 5712 No. 1: 22 Oct. 2025
Type: Monograph
Published: 2025-10-22
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5712.1.1
Page range: 1-103
Abstract views: 438
PDF downloaded: 9

Morphological and molecular description of ten new species of a new genus of Parabathynellidae (Bathynellacea, Crustacea) from the Pilbara region, 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
Biologic Environmental Survey; East Perth; Western Australia 6004; Australia
School of Biological Sciences; The University of Adelaide; SA 5005; Australia
Crustacea 12S 18S COI morphology multigene phylogeny Nicolenella new genus Pilbara stygofauna taxonomy

Abstract

The Pilbara is one of the arid regions in the north of Western Australia that is economically important for its mineral deposits. In the past few decades, many surveys have been conducted on behalf of the mining industry under regulatory requirements. Many new species have been discovered in this region to the point that it has been recognised as a global hotspot for subterranean fauna. Parabathynellidae are small, subterranean crustaceans widely spread across Australian groundwater and hyporheic ecosystems, including the Pilbara aquifers. In the past three years, 18 new species of this family have been described from the Pilbara, however, many species remain undescribed, including a specious clade with uncertain status. Here, using an integrative approach, we describe 10 new species of a new genus Nicolenella gen. nov., which correspond to the taxon with uncertain status from the Pilbara (N. rodmani sp. nov., N. hueyi sp. nov., N. mittrai sp. nov., N. vanweesae sp. nov., N. nguyenae sp. nov., N. abramsae sp. nov., N. newtonorum sp. nov., N. isabelleana sp. nov., N. floecknerae sp. nov., N. morganae sp. nov.), and we define four new additional putative species through genetic data. A multigene phylogeny, using COI, 12S and 18S genes, including genera from Australia and other countries, helped to place the new genus within the Australian Parabathynellidae, and the Australian fauna into worldwide context.

 

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How to Cite

Perina, G., Camacho, A.I., Morgan, L., Floeckner, S. & Guzik, M.T. (2025) Morphological and molecular description of ten new species of a new genus of Parabathynellidae (Bathynellacea, Crustacea) from the Pilbara region, Western Australia. Zootaxa, 5712 (1), 1–103. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5712.1.1