Two new species of Niphargus (Crustacea: Amphipoda) from Iran

Two Niphargus species, Niphargus khayyami sp. nov. and Niphargus khwarizmi sp. nov., are morphologically analysed and described. Both species are found in western Iran, which represents the easternmost border of the distributional area for this subterranean amphipod genus. We were unable to attribute N. khayyami sp. nov. to any of 80 Niphargus species that were analysed for 28S ribosomal DNA sequences; sequencing of N. khwarizmi sp. nov. failed. Niphargid findings from west Asia recorded in 5 years imply that almost one half of the range of this large freshwater amphipod genus is still unexplored. http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:9E9E7CC9-83E2-419F-A394-57197305E1EF     

A new species of Hyalella from Colombia,and the redescription of H. meinerti Stebbing, 1899 from Venezuela (Crustacea: Amphipoda)

The new species H. quindioensis is described from Colombia. This species is close to H. paramoensis Andres, 1988 also in Colombia. Hyalella meinerti Stebbing, 1899 is figured and redescribed. The type locality for this species is Venezuela. However, it has a wide distribution including Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Brazil.     

Elevation of two eastern Atlantic varieties of Ampelisca brevicornis (Costa, 1853) (Crustacea,Amphipoda) to full specific rank with redescription of the species

Two species of Ampelisca, Ampelisca pectenata and Ampelisca cavicoxa, are studied here. These species were originally taken to be varieties of Ampelisca brevicornis, but they proved upon closer study actually to be different species. They are redescribed here in detail, and raised to the status of species. These two species have hitherto only been known to inhabit tropical Atlantic areas. Now for the first time they have been recorded on the French Atlantic coast, which shows that they have a wider geographical distribution than was previously assumed. Some biological data are also given which add to the knowledge available about this family of Amphipoda. Deux espèces d'Ampeliscidae sont étudiées dans ce travail, Ampelisca pectenata et Ampelisca cavicoxa. A l'origine, elles ont été décrites comme variétés de Ampelisca brevicornis, mais une étude détaillée montre qu'il s'agit d'espèces différentes. Elles ont donc étéentièrement redécrites et élevées au rang d'espèces. Ces espèces n'étaient connues jusqu'àprésent qu'en régions tropicales Atlantiques. Pour la première fois elles sont signalées sur les cô     

A new species of Phoxocephalidae and some other records of sand-burrowing Amphipoda (Crustacea) from Argentina

A new species from the Argentine Sea, Metharpinia iado (Phoxocephalidae), is described. It is distinguished by many morphological character states from Metharpinia longirostris Schellenberg, 1931, found in South America for Argentina and Chile; primarily, they differ in numbers of spines and setae on mouthparts and appendages, and shape of epimeron plate 3. The new species is recorded in Buenos Aires and Chubut provinces. Two other Phoxocephalidae, Microphoxus cornutus (Schellenberg, 1931) and Fuegiphoxus fuegiensis (Schellenberg, 1931), partially illustrated, are compared in different populations, and some variations in number of spines and setae on mouthparts and appendages are noted. Microphoxus cornutus, known in Chile (Punta Arenas) and Argentina (Ushuaia), extends its geographical distribution towards the north of Argentina, in Buenos Aires and Chubut. Fuegiphoxus fuegiensis, known in the austral part of South America (Punta Arenas and Ushuaia) and in Chubut (Puerto Madryn), expands its geographical distribution in Chubut. The Ipanemidae Ipanema talpa Barnard and Thomas, 1988 is figured in part, both males and females are compared with the male specimen described from Brazil; it constitutes a new record in Argentina. All taxa were collected from sandy substrata in the intertidal and subtidal regions, in Buenos Aires and Chubut provinces.     

New records of West and South African Bathyporeia,with the description of four new species and a key to all species of the genus (Crustacea,Amphipoda)

New data on the warm temperate and tropical east Atlantic Bathyporeia species are presented. Four new species are described: Bathyporeia cunctator sp. nov. from South Africa, B. chevreuxi sp. nov. from Senegal, B. gladiura sp. nov. from South Africa, and B. griffithsi sp. nov. from Namibia. Bathyporeia cunctator sp. nov. and B. chevreuxi sp. nov. are very closely related to the west European B. tenuipes Meinert, 1877 and the Mediterranean B. lindstromi Stebbing, 1906 Stebbing, T. R. R. 1906. Amphipoda 1: Gammaridea.. Das Tierreich, 21: 1–806.  [Google Scholar]; these four cryptic species forming the complex tenuipes. Bathyporeia griffithsi sp. nov. and B. gladiura sp. nov. are highly distinctive new species. The morphotype “sunnivae” of Bathyporeia guilliamsoniana is recorded for the first time outside the Mediterranean Sea, in the Canary Islands. An identification key to all known Bathyporeia species is given.     

A new species of Ischyrocerus (Crustacea: Amphipoda) from Ireland,with a review of Ischyrocerus anguipes and Ischyrocerus minutus from the North-East Atlantic

A new species of ischyrocerid amphipod, Ischyrocerus fractus sp. nov., is described from south-west Ireland. An examination of material from the Sars Collection at the Zoologisk Museum, Oslo, has confirmed that Ischyrocerus minutus Sars, previously placed as a synonym of Ischyrocerus anguipes Krøyer, is a valid species and is widespread in the British Isles, while I. anguipes is Arctic/boreal in distribution.     

Two new phoxocephalids (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Phoxocephalidae) from the south-west Atlantic

A new genus and species, Parafoxiphalus longicarpus, and a new species, Metharpinia protuberantis belonging to the family Phoxocephalidae, are described from the Argentine Sea. Both taxa were collected from sandy substrata in the intertidal and subtidal regions. Parafoxiphalus longicarpus is related to Foxiphalus Barnard, 1979 and they share many characters, most of them in plesiomorphic condition. Metharpinia protuberantis is an intermediate species between Metharpinia Schellenberg, 1931 and Microphoxus Barnard, 1960, and its assignation to the first genus is discussed.     

A new South American genus and species in the amaryllidid group of lysianassoid Amphipoda

Erikus dahli, a new genus and species in the amaryllidid group of lysianassoid amphipods, is described and illustrated from South American material.     

A new species of Valettia (Crustacea: Amphipoda) and the relationship of the Valettidae to the Lysianassoidea

The family Vallettidae is re-established to accommodate Valettia coheres Stebbing, 1888 and V. hystrix sp. nov. Although closer to the Lysianassoidea than to any other gammaridean superfamily, characters of the mandible, maxillae, gnathopods and oostegites preclude membership of that superfamily. Further assessments of the Valettidae and other family groups peripheral to the Lysianassoidea will be required before formal high-level classification can be established.     

European species of Haustorius (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Haustoriidae), with description of a new Mediterranean species

The genus Haustorius is represented by six species in the world; three are described as American species, three European including a new species described from the Mediterranean. This new species, H. orientalis, is similar to H. algeriensis Mulot, from the Algerian coast but differs in rostrum slightly exceeding in length the antennal lobes, merus of pereiopod 7 with posterior margin lacking spines, and uropod 1 with two separate rows of spines.     

A new deep-sea Psammogammarus species (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Eriopisidae) from the continental slope of the SE Gulf of Mexico

A new deep-sea species of amphipod collected at a depth of 1317 m from the soft bottom of the Bay of Campeche, SW Gulf of Mexico, is herein described. The sediment included a high proportion of silt and organic carbon. The specimen examined in this study was collected during the Oceanographic Expedition Xcambó-4, along the Bay of Campeche, aboard the RV Justo Sierra. The new species represents the sixteenth known species of the genus Psammogammarus worldwide. This new species is the second Psammogammarus recorded from the deep sea, and the first record of the genus for the Gulf of Mexico. Identification keys to males and females of Psammogammarus species are provided. Psammogammarus barrerai sp. nov. is characterised by head with anteroventral notch present; gnathopods 1 and 2 palmar margins oblique, and basis of pereopod 7 forming a wide serrated posterior lobe.

www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:C843777B-FF15-4AEC-B046-6513A96A9BFF     

First observations on the phylogeny of the families Gammaridae,Crangonyctidae, Melitidae,Niphargidae, Megaluropidae and Oedicerotidae (Amphipoda,Crustacea), using small subunit rDNA gene sequences

This study examines amphipod phylogeny based on small subunit (18S) rDNA sequence data. Complete sequences of 25 species representing six families were used to test the phylogenetic information content of this gene for reconstruction of amphipod phylogeny. The alignment proved to be informative for most of the studied taxa. The monophyly of the families Gammaridae, Crangonyctidae, Niphargidae and Oedicerotidae is supported. The Melitidae are not monophyletic in the reconstructed topologies, but weak molecular evidence for the monophyly of this group could be observed in spectra of supporting positions. A close relationship of Gammaridae + Melitidae or Gammaridae + Crangonyctidae is not supported, rather there are supporting positions for the incompatible sister-group relationship (Gammaridae + Niphargidae) and (Crangonyctidae + Niphargidae). The molecular evidence is in favour of the latter relationship. The evolution of cephalothoracic apodemes is discussed in the light of other phylogenetic hypotheses resulting from molecular data.     

A new species of amphipod of the genus Neomegamphopus (Crustacea,Amphipoda, Neomegamphopidae) from Rodrigues,Indian Ocean

A new species of Neomegamphopus Shoemaker is described from Rodrigues, Indian Ocean. The systematics of the Neomegamphopidae from the Indian Ocean is discussed and a key to the species from that ocean is provided.     

Apodidymochelia,a new genus of gammaridean amphipod from the tropical Atlantic Ocean (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Didymochellidae)

Apodidymochelia castellata, new genus, new species is the second genus and fourth species in the rare and poorly known family Didymocheliidae. Apodidymochelia is separated from Didymochelia primarily on mandible structure. This record extends the known range of the family into the Atlantic Ocean.     

Revision of Stegosoladidus Barnard and Karaman, 1987 (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Stegocephalidae), redescription of two species and description of three new species

Stegosoladidus simplex (K. H. Barnard, 1930) and S. ingens (Chevreux, 1906) are both figured and redescribed. Three new species (Stegosoladidus antarcticus, S. complex and S. debroyeri) are described. The terminology used for classification of both setae and different setae arrangements is discussed, and the main types of setae are figured.     

An enigma from Australia: a new variation on the corophioid theme (Crustacea: Amphipoda)

Aetiopedes gracilis gen. et sp. nov. (Amphipoda : Isaeidae) is described from southern Australian (Tasmanian, Victorian) shallow coastal sand habitats. The taxon superficially resembles an ampeliscoid having antenna 2 markedly longer than antenna 1 and peraeopods 3–4 with long, slender dactyls. The possibility is raised that glandular peraeopods may be a synapomorphy associating Ampeliscoidea with Corophioidea as sister groups. The structure of peraeopods 3–4 (merochelate), labrum (toothed) and telson (shortened) are all autapomorphies peculiar to the new taxon. Within the Isaeidae, Aetiopedes appears to be closest to Amphideutopus. The relationships of these taxa are discussed in relation to the hypotheses of Barnard & Thomas (1987) on the systematics of the Neomegamphopidae.     

Two new species of Metharpinia Schellenberg (Amphipoda: Phoxocephalidae) from the south-west Atlantic

Two new species, Metharpinia dentiurosoma and Metharpinia grandirama, belonging to the family Phoxocephalidae are described and illustrated from the Argentine Sea. Both taxa were collected dredging at different depths and the grain size of the sediment was determined for each sampling station. The new species share character states with Metharpinia Schellenberg, 1931 and Microphoxus Barnard, 1960, and their assignation to the first genus is discussed. Metharpinia dentiurosoma and Metharpinia grandirama are distinguished from the other known species of the genus by the dorsal hook on urosomite 3; in addition, the first species is characterized by its epimeron 3 and the second species by its uropod 2.