Caprellids from the caribbean coast of Colombia, wih description of three new species and key for species identification

The Caprellidae (Crustacea: Amphipoda) of shallow waters of the Caribbean coast of Colombia, South America, are investigated. This is the first study dealing with the caprellidean fauna of this area. A total of 45 stations from Punta Brava to Punta Cañaveral, at Santa Marta region, Colombia, was selected, and samples of algae, coral rubble, sponges, hydroids, bryozoans and sediments were collected from the intertidal zone to 30 m depth. Ten species in seven genera were found (three of which are new to science): Aciconula sp., Caprella cf. penantis Leach, 1814, Caprella danilevskii Czerniavskii, 1868, Deutella caribensis n.sp., D. incerta (Mayer, 1903), D. mayeri Stebbing, 1895, Hemiaegina minuta Mayer, 1890, Paracaprella pusilla Mayer, 1890, Pseudaeginella colombiensis n.sp., and Tritella chibcha n.sp. All the species are fully illustrated, and a key to species level for all species is also provided

Cryptic species in a well-known habitat: applying taxonomics to the amphipod genus Epimeria (Crustacea, Peracarida)

Taxonomy plays a central role in biological sciences. It provides a communication system for scientists as it aims to enable correct identification of the studied organisms. As a consequence, species descriptions should seek to include as much available information as possible at species level to follow an integrative concept of ‘taxonomics’. Here, we describe the cryptic species Epimeria frankei sp. nov. from the North Sea, and also redescribe its sister species, Epimeria cornigera. The morphological information obtained is substantiated by DNA barcodes and complete nuclear 18S rRNA gene sequences. In addition, we provide, for the first time, full mitochondrial genome data as part of a metazoan species description for a holotype, as well as the neotype. This study represents the first successful implementation of the recently proposed concept of taxonomics, using data from highthroughput technologies for integrative taxonomic studies, allowing the highest level of confidence for both biodiversity and ecological research