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A new genus and new species of Desmosomatidae Sars, 1897 (Isopoda) from the eastern South Atlantic abyss described by means of integrative taxonomy

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Abstract

We used a combined morphological and genetic approach for species delineation within desmosomatid isopods in the eastern South Atlantic. Based on morphological data from light, scanning electron, and confocal laser scanning, microscopy as well as on mitochondrial (COI, 16S) and nuclear (18S) DNA markers, we describe two new species and a new genus. Chelator aequabilis is reported from the Guinea Basin and the Angola Basin. High intraspecific genetic variability did not allow final conclusions about relationships and species status of all analysed individuals. Due to the patterns of genetic variation and the subtle variation in some morphological characters, we conclude that more than one species might be hidden in C. aequabilis north of the Walvis Ridge. Chelator rugosus is described from the Cape Basin; the new monotypic genus Parvochelus is erected with the description of P. russus from the Guinea and the Brazil Basins. In Parvochelus, pereopod I bears a carpo-chela, especially the carpus is slender and long, its width is smaller than the merus width. The slender and long seta that is situated laterally to the carpo-propodal articulation is another characteristic feature. Despite the divergence within this species, shared lineages on both sides of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge suggest sporadic connectivity between populations on both sides. Our results document how molecular data can complement morphology in an integrative taxonomic approach elucidating biodiversity in the deep sea. Keys to the genera of Desmosomatidae and the species of Chelator are provided.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank all pickers and sorters during the DIVA expeditions to provide a unique set of specimens. Michael Raupach and Christoph Held introduced Saskia Brix into the molecular world and helped in the laboratory during her research stay at the Ruhr University Bochum in 2005. Without the technical assistance of Karen Jeskulke and Andrea Ormos working hard on producing high-quality PCR products at the Smithsonian, the whole work would have been much slower. Special thanks go to Amy Driskell for her support. Stefanie Kaiser put energy into discussing and improving the key to genus level. Marco Büntzow introduced the first author to the CLSM and spent much effort into explaining the techniques. Marina Malyutina kindly translated Kussakin’s (1999) key to the Arctic Chelator species. Saskia Brix and Torben Riehl were supported by the German Research Foundation (DFG) under contract No. Br 1121/28-1 doing first steps in producing results from 2005–2007 in the working group of Angelika Brandt at the University of Hamburg. The Census of the Diversity of Abyssal Marine Life (CeDAMar) supported travels and the financial background for retrieving sequences in the frame of the project “DNA barcoding deep-sea Isopoda”. Torben Riehl was funded by the German National Academic Foundation (Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes) while writing this article and acknowledges the support of the Marine Invertebrates Department at the Australian Museum. Kevin Kocot kindly checked the English. Finally, we would like to thank the subject editor Gary Poore and four anonymous referees for their comments improving the quality of our manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Senckenberg am Meer, German Centre for Marine Biodiversity Research (DZMB), Biocenter Grindel, Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3, 20146, Hamburg, Germany

    Saskia Brix

  2. Department of Animal Ecology, Evolution and Biodiversity, Ruhr University Bochum, Universitätsstraße 150, 44801, Bochum, Germany

    Florian Leese

  3. Biocenter Grindel, Zoological Museum, University of Hamburg, Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3, 20146, Hamburg, Germany

    Torben Riehl

  4. Senckenberg am Meer, German Centre for Marine Biodiversity Research (DZMB), Südstrand 44, 26382, Wilhelmshaven, Germany

    Terue Cristina Kihara

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  1. Saskia Brix
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Brix, S., Leese, F., Riehl, T. et al. A new genus and new species of Desmosomatidae Sars, 1897 (Isopoda) from the eastern South Atlantic abyss described by means of integrative taxonomy. Mar Biodiv 45, 7–61 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12526-014-0218-3

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