A new species of Nitocra Boeck 1865 (Harpacticoida, Ameiridae, Ameirinae) from South Africa, with notes on its ecology and remarks on the status of Nitocra sewelli husmanni Kunz 1976

Gómez, Samuel; Carrasco, Nicola K.; Morales-Serna, Francisco Neptalí

doi:10.3897/zookeys.244.2633

Cited by 14 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 16 publications

(21 reference statements)

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“…These have consistently revealed the occurrence of species that were either previously confused with others or completely unknown to science (e.g. Daly et al 2012 ; Gómez et al 2012 ; Carrasco and Perissinotto 2012 ; Todaro et al 2011 , 2013 ). A systematic approach has been implemented recently, aimed at producing a modern “Biodiversity Census” for the estuarine lake.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Biodiversity census of Lake St Lucia, iSimangaliso Wetland Park (South Africa): Gastropod molluscs

Perissinotto¹,

Miranda²,

Raw³

et al. 2014

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The recent dry phase experienced by the St Lucia estuarine system has led to unprecedented desiccation and hypersaline conditions through most of its surface area. This has changed only recently, at the end of 2011, with the onset of a new wet phase that has already caused a major shift to oligo- and mesohaline conditions. The estuary mouth, however, remains closed to the ocean, making the weak connection recently established between the St Lucia and the Mfolozi estuaries the only conveyance for marine recruitment. As a result, only 10 indigenous and two alien aquatic gastropod species are currently found living in the St Lucia estuarine lake. This is out of a total of 37 species recorded within the system since the earliest survey undertaken in 1924, half of which have not been reported in the literature before. The tick shell, Nassarius kraussianus, which was consistently found in large abundance prior to the recent dry phase, appears to have temporarily disappeared from the system, probably as a result of the extinction of Zostera marine grasses inside the lake. Population explosions of the bubble shell Haminoea natalensis, with its distinct egg masses, were recorded seasonally until 2009, but the species has subsequently not been observed again. A molecular DNA analysis of the various populations previously reported as belonging to the same assimineid species, variably referred to as Assiminea capensis, A. ovata, or A. bifasciata, has revealed that the St Lucia assemblage actually comprises two very distinct taxa, A. cf. capensis and a species provisionally referred to here as “A.” aff. capensis or simply Assimineidae sp. In the mangroves, the climbing whelk Cerithidea decollata is still found in numbers, while ellobiids such as Cassidula labrella, Melampus semiaratus and M. parvulus are present in low abundances and all previously recorded littorinids have disappeared. A number of alien freshwater species have colonized areas of the system that have remained under low salinity. These include the invasive thiarid Tarebia granifera, which can be found in concentrations exceeding 5000 ind.m-2, the lymnaeid Pseudosuccinea columella and the physid Aplexa marmorata.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Biodiversity census of Lake St Lucia, iSimangaliso Wetland Park (South Africa): Gastropod molluscs

Perissinotto¹,

Miranda²,

Raw³

et al. 2014

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“…The status of subspecific taxa in the genus Nitokra has been modified to recognize independent species on the basis of consistent morphological differences (Gómez et al 2012). The comparative morphological data provided by Lang (1965) about Nitokra affinis and the additional characters explored in this work appear to be a sound frame to define species boundaries for use in taxonomic discrimination in this species complex.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As in many other cases of presumedly widespread species of harpacticoids, it is possible that Nitokra affinis represents a species complex with more restricted distributional patterns, a notion already advanced by Vervoort (1964) . The status of subspecific taxa in the genus Nitokra has been modified to recognize independent species on the basis of consistent morphological differences ( Gómez et al 2012 ). The comparative morphological data provided by Lang (1965) about Nitokra affinis and the additional characters explored in this work appear to be a sound frame to define species boundaries for use in taxonomic discrimination in this species complex.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Species of this genus occur in fresh, brackish and marine water habitats ( Karanovic and Pesce 2002 ), as well as a wide range of sediment types ( Boxshall and Halsey 2004 ). Nitokra is considered a diverse taxon which is currently known to contain over 45 valid species ( Wells 2007 ; Gómez et al 2012 ), some of them with a remarkable morphologic variability that has motivated the erection of subspecific taxa. Currently, eight species ( Nitokra affinis Gurney, 1927, Nitokra divaricata Chappuis, 1923, Nitokra fallaciosa Klie, 1937, Nitokra hibernica (Brady, 1880), Nitokra lacustris (Shmankevich, 1875), Nitokra mediterranea Brian, 1928, Nitokra minor Willey, 1930, Nitokra platypus Daday, 1906) are known to contain 22 subspecies ( Wells 2007 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A new subspecies of Nitokra affinis Gurney, 1927 (Copepoda, Harpacticoida) from the Caribbean coast of Colombia

Fuentes-Reinés

Suárez‐Morales

2014

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Plankton samples from Laguna Navio Quebrado, La Guajira, northern Colombia, yielded male and female specimens of an harpacticoid copepod that was first identified as the widely distributed species Nitokra affinis Gurney, 1927 for which at least four subspecies have been described from different geographic areas. A more detailed examination of the Colombian specimens revealed that it differs from the other morphs so far considered as subspecies. The Colombian specimens differ from the other four known subspecies in the following aspects: (1) rostrum with long projection, (2) relatively long exopod of P1, almost as long as first endopodal segment, (3) endopodal and exopodal rami of P2 equally long, (4) a reduced number of endopodal setal elements of the male P5. It also differs from N. a. californica Lang in details of the ornamentation of the urosomites. Descriptions and illustrations of this new subspecies, the first one described from the Neotropical region, are presented together with a key to the five known subspecies of Nitokra affinis. As in many other cases of presumedly widespread species of harpacticoids, it is possible that N. affinis represents a species complex with more restricted distributional patterns, a notion that certainly deserves further study.

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“…We report here on two interesting Neogosseidae found during an ongoing survey of the meiofauna and macrobenthos of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park (Pillay and Perissinotto 2009, Todaro et al 2011, Bownes and Perissinotto 2012, Daly et al 2012, Gómez et al 2012). One species belongs to the genus Neogossea Remane, 1927 and is reported here for the first time outside of its Brazilian type locality, whereas the second appears to be new to science.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Neogosseidae (Gastrotricha, Chaetonotida) from the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Todaro¹,

Perissinotto²,

Bownes³

2013

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Among the mostly benthic gastrotrichs, the Neogosseidae (Gastrotricha, Chaetonotida) are particularly interesting from an evolutionary point of view in virtue of their planktonic lifestyle; yet, they are poorly known and uncertainties concerning morphological traits hamper accurate in-group systematics. During a recent survey of meiofauna in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, South Africa, two species of Neogosseidae were found in a freshwater pond near Charter’s Creek on the Western Shores of Lake St Lucia. Based on morphological traits, one species has been identified as Neogossea acanthocolla, originally described from Brazil, while the other, affiliated to the genus Kijanebalola, is proposed as new to science. Using a combination of differential interference contrast and scanning electron microscopy, fine anatomical details were observed and are here discussed in a larger taxonomic framework, especially regarding Kijanebalola devestiva sp. n. Results have also provided reasons for a revision of the diagnostic traits of Kijanebalola, Neogossea and the whole Family Neogosseidae. Besides expanding awareness about the biodiversity hosted by South Africa’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site, our study will be beneficial to future phylogenetic studies of the Gastrotricha based on morphology, by allowing the selection and/or a more precise character coding of traits of phylogenetic relevance.

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A new species of Nitocra Boeck 1865 (Harpacticoida, Ameiridae, Ameirinae) from South Africa, with notes on its ecology and remarks on the status of Nitocra sewelli husmanni Kunz 1976

Cited by 14 publications

References 16 publications

Biodiversity census of Lake St Lucia, iSimangaliso Wetland Park (South Africa): Gastropod molluscs

Biodiversity census of Lake St Lucia, iSimangaliso Wetland Park (South Africa): Gastropod molluscs

A new subspecies of Nitokra affinis Gurney, 1927 (Copepoda, Harpacticoida) from the Caribbean coast of Colombia

Neogosseidae (Gastrotricha, Chaetonotida) from the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

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