Re-description of Orchestia stephenseni Cecchini, 1928: designation of neotype and senior synonym to Orchestia constricta A. Costa, 1853 (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Talitridae) by Reversal of Precedence

Abstract

The beach flea Orchestia stephenseni was originally described by Cecchini (1928), and successively by Karaman (1973). The description of this species will be herein revised by focusing on the variation of the gnathopod 2 in males, as detected during its growth period. An analysis of DNA Barcoding was performed to support the assignment of the taxonomic species to five morphotypes. As the type specimen has not yet been designated, a neotype is assigned. The name of the species is here presented as a valid name as it satisfies the requirements of a Reversal of the Principle of Priority: Orchestia stephenseni takes precedence over the objective synonym Orchestia constricta A. Costa, 1853, in accordance with Article 23.9.2. of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. Orchestia stephenseni Cecchini, 1928 becomes nomen protectum, and Orchestia constricta nomen oblitum. The results presented in this paper also support the status of Orchestia stephenseni as a Mediterranean endemic species, thereby rejecting previous Atlantic records. The synonymies for O. stephenseni are revised accordingly.

First Assessment of Plasticizers in Marine Coastal Litter-Feeder Fauna in the Mediterranean Sea

“…They are easy to capture, have a short generation turnover and are cosmopolitan species. The order Amphipoda is dominant in temperate coastal environments; most species are highly specific for a single habitat and display limited dispersal, thus exhibiting a strong genetic cohesion and taxonomic homogeneity [10,11,[36][37][38], which provide spotted information on a regional spatial scale. Further, at the taxonomic level of genus, they are commonly found worldwide and analyses from different localities can be comparable as the co-generic species are ecological equivalents.…”