Description of a new genus and species of Bathynellidae (Crustacea: Bathynellacea) from Texas based on morphological and molecular characters

ABSTRACT

A new genus and species of Bathynellidae is described from Texas (USA). Hobbsinella gen. nov. displays a unique combination of morphological characters including seven-segmented antenna lacking medial seta on exopod, antennule much longer than antenna, three-segmented mandibular palp with sexual dimorphism, four segments on endopod of thoracopods I–VII, five spines on sympod of uropod and three lobes on the penial region of male thoracopod VIII.

Partial sequences of cytochrome oxidase I (Cox1) and 18S have been obtained from several specimens of the new species. The mitochondrial and nuclear DNA data complement the traditional morphological taxonomic description supporting the validity of the new genus. Global molecular data for the Bathynellidae demonstrate the presence of three highly divergent genetic units corresponding to three subfamilies, with the new genus confidently placed in the subfamily Gallobathynellinae.

http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:2FC56BDC-1B64-4F39-8B17-C041C7D61DAB

KEYWORDS:

• Syncarida
• Bathynellacea
• Bathynellidae
• Texas
• groundwater fauna
• new genus
• morphological data
• Cox1
• 18S

Acknowledgements

We gratefully acknowledge C. Puch and P. Mas-Peinado who helped us in different ways.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by MINECO/FEDER, Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, Spain [project CGL2015-66571-P (MINECO/FEDER)]. Salary for the second author was provided, in part, by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Grant title TX T-79-R-3, F16AF00688, under the authority of the State Wildlife Grant Program (CFDA#15.634) issued to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.