Uma nova associação entre um caprelídeo e estrelas-do-mar: Caprella acanthifera s.l. (Crustacea: Amphipoda) em Ophidiaster ophidianus e Hacelia attenuata nos Açore

Uma nova associação entre um caprelídeo e estrelas-do-mar é descrita para os Açores, Atlântico nordeste. Caprella n.sp. , uma espécie do complexo Caprella acanthifera conhecida por viver sem hospedeiros no mar Mediterrâneo e no Atlântico oriental, foi encontrada em grupos, que atingiram até 77 indivíduos (em média 24), na superfície aboral das estrelas-do-mar Ophidiaster ophidianus e Hacelia attenuata na área de Monte da Guia, ilha do Faial, Açores. Não foi verificada nenhuma correlação entre o tamanho das estrelas-do-mar e o tamanho do grupo dos caprelídeos. A cor rosa dos caprelídeos sugere que eles raspam muco da superfície dos seus hospedeiros.ABSTRACT: A new caprellid-starfish association is described from the Azores, northeastern Atlantic. Caprella n.sp., a species in the Caprella acanthifera species complex known to occur free-living in the Mediterranean Sea and the eastern Atlantic Ocean, was encountered in groups of up to 77 animals (average 24) on the aboral surface of the starfish species Ophidiaster ophidianus and Hacelia attenuata at Monte da Guia, Faial Island, Azores. There was no correlation between starfish size and caprellid group size. The pinkish colour of the caprellids suggests that they scrape mucus off the surface of their starfish hosts. The known associations between caprellid amphipods and starfish are enumerated

New and little known species of Lepechinella (Crustacea, Amphipoda, Lepechinellidae) and an allied new genus Lepesubchela from the North Atlantic

New species of Lepechinella, L. norvegica sp. nov. and L. victoriae sp. nov., from the North East Atlantic are described together with the new, closely related genus and species Lepesubchela christinae gen. et sp. nov. Lepechinella arctica Schellenberg, 1926 from north of Spitsbergen and Lepechinella schellenbergi Stephensen, 1944 from Greenland are redescribed. A key to the species of Atlantic and Arctic Lepechinella is provided. Descriptions of taxonomic characters from related species in the Atlantic and Arctic are discussed

Amphipods and sea anemones, an update

We present an updated survey of the Amphipoda that live in association with sea anemones. These amphipods can be divided into four groups: 1) symbiotic amphipods using sea anemones mainly for protection, but feeding largely independently; 2) amphipods feeding on sea anemones, but not permanently associated; 3) symbiotic amphipods living permanently among the tentacles of the sea anemones; and 4) symbiotic amphipods living permanently in the gastrovascular cavity of the sea anemones. Contrary to previous speculations, it appears that the amphipods in groups 3 and 4 mainly feed on host tissue, and the anemone-eating amphipods can therefore generally be classified as micropredators (group 2), ectoparasites (group 3), and almost endoparasites (especially those species in group 4 that spend their entire life cycle inside their hosts). Although the associates in the latter two groups show various minor morphological, reproductive, and physiological adaptations to the symbiosis, these associations evolved many times independently. We provide new information on feeding ecology and a discussion of the evolution of these associations

Onisimus turgidus (Sars, 1879) (Amphipoda, Uristidae), an overlooked amphipod from sea anemones in Northern Norway

Two Norwegian uristid amphipods, obligate associates of sea anemones, have for a long time been confused sub nomine Onisimus normani Sars, 1890. In reality this species only occurs in south Norway, while the north-Norwegian material belongs to O. turgidus (Sars, 1879), described from the Barents Sea and for a long time forgotten. This paper fully illustrates both species, gives a key, and provides data on their distribution and ecology

Gammarid amphipods (Crustacea) in Norway, with a key to the species

Thirteen species in the amphipod family Gammaridae have been reported from Norway. This paper gives a survey of the distribution and habitat of all 13 species of the family Gammaridae occurring or expected to occur in Norwegian waters: both marine, brackish and fresh, including Svalbard, in addition to four species found in close neighbouring waters. It also provides a short history of the study of Gammaridae in Norway, as well as an illustrated identification key to all species in the area

A genetic fingerprint of Amphipoda from Icelandic waters – the baseline for further biodiversity and biogeography studies

Source at https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.731.19931.Amphipods constitute an abundant part of Icelandic deep-sea zoobenthos yet knowledge of the diversity of this fauna, particularly at the molecular level, is scarce. The present work aims to use molecular methods to investigate genetic variation of the Amphipoda sampled during two IceAGE collecting expeditions. The mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI) of 167 individuals originally assigned to 75 morphospecies was analysed. These targeted morhospecies were readily identifiable by experts using light microscopy and representative of families where there is current ongoing taxonomic research. The study resulted in 81 Barcode Identity Numbers (BINs) (of which >90% were published for the first time), while Automatic Barcode Gap Discovery revealed the existence of 78 to 83 Molecular Operational Taxonomic Units (MOTUs). Six nominal species (Rhachotropis helleri, Arrhis phyllonyx, Deflexilodes tenuirostratus, Paroediceros propinquus, Metopa boeckii, Astyra abyssi) appeared to have a molecular variation higher than the 0.03 threshold of both p-distance and K2P usually used for amphipod species delineation. Conversely, two Oedicerotidae regarded as separate morphospecies clustered together with divergences in the order of intraspecific variation. The incongruence between the BINs associated with presently identified species and the publicly available data of the same taxa was observed in case of Paramphithoe hystrix and Amphilochus manudens. The findings from this research project highlight the necessity of supporting molecular studies with thorough morphology species analyses

Amphipod family distributions around Iceland

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The World Amphipoda Database: history and progress

We provide an overview of the World Amphipoda Database (WAD), a global species database that is part of the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS). Launched in 2013, the database contains entries for over 10,500 accepted species names. Edited currently by 31 amphipod taxonomists, following WoRMS priorities, the WAD has at least one editor per major group. All accepted species are checked by the editors, as is the authorship available for all of the names. The higher classification is documented for every species and a type species is recorded for every genus name. This constitutes five of the 13 priorities for completion, set by WoRMS. In 2015, five LifeWatch grants were allocated for WAD activities. These included a general training workshop in 2016, together with data input for the superfamily Lysianassoidea and for a number of non-marine groups. Philanthropy grants in 2019 and 2021 covered more important gaps across the whole group. Further work remains to complete the linking of unaccepted names, original descriptions, and environmental information. Once these tasks are completed, the database will be considered complete for 8 of the 13 priorities, and efforts will continue to input new taxa annually and focus on the remaining priorities, particularly the input of type localities. We give an overview of the current status of the order Amphipoda, providing counts of the number of genera and species within each family belonging to the six suborders currently recognized

Case 3311. Bathyporeia Elegans Watkin, 1938 (Crustacea, Amphipoda): Proposed Conservation

Volume: 61Start Page: 162End Page: 16