A new species of notodiaptomus from the ecuadorian andes (Copepoda, calanoida, diaptomidae)

Notodiaptomus cannarensis sp. n. is described from a reservoir on the Amazonian slope of the Ecuadorian Andes. The new species is unique among diaptomid calanoid copepods in the display of hypertrophied, symmetrical wing-like extensions at each side of the female composite genital somite. Furthermore, it displays a female urosome reduced to only two somites due to the incorporation of abdominal somites III and IV to the composite genital double-somite, and a male right fifth leg with the outer spine of second exopodal segment recurved and implanted proximally on margin. It differs from any other Notodiaptomus in the display of a large rectangular lamella on proximal segment of exopod of male right fifth leg. The species is currently known only from Mazar reservoir, a eutrophic water body placed above 2127 m a.s.l. on the River Paute (Cañar Province; southern Ecuador), where it is the most common crustacean in the water column. © Miguel Alonso et al

General Aspects Concerning Marine and Terrestrial Biodiversity

14 páginasFinancial support of the BBVA FoundationPeer reviewe

A new species of Salentinella Ruffo, 1947 from a thermo-mineral cave in southern Spain, with comments on the systematic position of the family Salentinellidae (Amphipoda)

A new species of the stygobiont amphipod genus SalentinellaRuffo, 1947 is described from a thermo-mineral cave of Granada, southern Spain. Detailed observation of the appendages of the new species and of fresh specimens of S. angelieriDelamare-Deboutteville & Ruffo, 1952, and their comparison with the descriptions of other members of the family, have revealed that a simple callynophore is present on the antennule in both sexes of salentinellids. Furthermore, salentinellids have resulted to show a non-senticaudatan (i.e., lack of apical spines on rami) condition of uropods I and II. Both features question the current placement of the family within the senticaudatan parvorder Bogidiellidira. An identification key to all known members of the family Salentinellidae is provided

The Magnitude of Global Marine Species Diversity

Background The question of how many marine species exist is important because it provides a metric for how much we do and do not know about life in the oceans. We have compiled the first register of the marine species of the world and used this baseline to estimate how many more species, partitioned among all major eukaryotic groups, may be discovered. Results There are ∼226,000 eukaryotic marine species described. More species were described in the past decade (∼20,000) than in any previous one. The number of authors describing new species has been increasing at a faster rate than the number of new species described in the past six decades. We report that there are ∼170,000 synonyms, that 58,000–72,000 species are collected but not yet described, and that 482,000–741,000 more species have yet to be sampled. Molecular methods may add tens of thousands of cryptic species. Thus, there may be 0.7–1.0 million marine species. Past rates of description of new species indicate there may be 0.5 ± 0.2 million marine species. On average 37% (median 31%) of species in over 100 recent field studies around the world might be new to science. Conclusions Currently, between one-third and two-thirds of marine species may be undescribed, and previous estimates of there being well over one million marine species appear highly unlikely. More species than ever before are being described annually by an increasing number of authors. If the current trend continues, most species will be discovered this century