Taxonomy and phylogeny of the genus Melita (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Melitidae) from the West Pacific Islands, with descriptions of four new species

The amphipod genus MelitaLeach, 1814 (Amphipoda: Melitidae) is a predominantly marine group with a cosmopolitan distribution in both circumtropical and temperate waters. However, records of Melita from inland waters such as fresh and brackish waters are limited. In this study, four new species of Me...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Zoologischer Anzeiger 2022-01, Vol.296, p.141-160
Main Authors: Tomikawa, Ko, Sasaki, Tetsuro, Aoyagi, Masaru, Nakano, Takafumi
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Freshwater
Molecular phylogeny
Multiple invasions
Oceanic island
Ogasawara islands
Ryukyu islands
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Summary:The amphipod genus MelitaLeach, 1814 (Amphipoda: Melitidae) is a predominantly marine group with a cosmopolitan distribution in both circumtropical and temperate waters. However, records of Melita from inland waters such as fresh and brackish waters are limited. In this study, four new species of Melita are described from inland waters in the Ogasawara and Ryukyu Islands, West Pacific: M. nunomurai sp. nov. from Hahajima Island, Ogasawara Islands; M. ogasawaraensis sp. nov. from Anijima, Chichijima, and Hahajima Islands, Ogasawara Islands; M. miyakoensis sp. nov. from Miyakojima Island, Ryukyu Islands; and M. okinawaensis sp. nov. from Okinawajima Island, Ryukyu Islands. Molecular phylogenetic analyses based on nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequences reveal that M. ogasawaraensis sp. nov. and M. nunomurai sp. nov. are recovered as the sister taxon of M. miyakoensis sp. nov. and M. choshigawaensis, respectively. These results suggest multiple colonisations of the Ogasawara Islands by Melita species. The present study revealed a high species diversity of Melita in the inland waters of the islands of West Pacific. We further discuss the phylogeny among genera of Melitidae.
ISSN:0044-5231
1873-2674
DOI:10.1016/j.jcz.2021.12.005