Geometric morphometry supports a taxonomic revision of the Mediterranean Bathyporeia guilliamsoniana (Spence Bate, 1857) (Amphipoda, Bathyporeiidae)

Abstract

Bathyporeia guilliamsoniana (Spence Bate, 1857) specimens collected in the Levantine Basin of the Mediterranean Sea displayed polymorphism in some characters. More than 100 specimens were examined and their intra-specific variation in the shape of the third epimeral plate analysed and quantified. The morphometric geometry methodology is used to assess the 'cryptic' variation in shape which may obscure identification. The results support the assignment of sunnivae and megalops to morphotypes of B. guilliamsoniana sensu d'Udekem d' Acoz & Vader (2005).Key words. -Bathyporeia, geometric morphometry, eastern Mediterranean RIASSUNTO Individui di Bathyporeia guilliamsoniana (Spence Bate, 1857), campionati nel Mediterraneo orientale, sono risultati essere di particolare interesse per il polimorfismo fortemente accentuato nella forma di alcuni caratteri. Non a caso, recentemente il genere è stato oggetto di una revisione che ha messo in luce la presenza di morfotipi, fino a quel momento considerati ascrivibili al rango di specie. Nel presente lavoro l'approccio di morfometria geometrica viene portato come esempio di metodologia utile alla individuazione di quella variazione 'criptica' che spesso influenza la corretta identificazione delle specie. Su oltre cento individui, la profondità dell'incavo nell'angolo postero-distale del terzo epimero è stata messa in relazione con la lunghezza degli individui, senza discriminare raggruppamenti. I risultati supportano le forme sunnivae e megalops morfotipi di Bathyporeia guilliamsoniana in accordo con d'Udekem d' Acoz & Vader (2005).Parole chiave. -Bathyporeia, morfometria geometrica, Mediterraneo orientale

The importance of applying Standardised Integrative Taxonomy when describing marine benthic organisms and collecting ecological data

“…A similar approach is fundamental to discerning cryptic species or morphologically similar organisms or to solve ancient taxonomic tangles. Now there are many new tools for identifying or delimiting species, 50 such as DNA-based methods (Wilson 1995;Blaxter 2004;De Broyer and Danis 2011;Hewitt et al 2013;Leray and Knowlton 2015;Postaire et al 2016), morphometry (Oliveira et al 2000;Zelditch et al 2004;Tarnowska et al 2009;Curatolo et al 2013), techniques for capturing 3D models of invertebrates 55 (Nguyen et al 2014), or other non-destructive imaging methods (Matsuyama et al 2015). In any case, the study of morphology is fundamental (Dunn 2003;Pearse 2003).…”

New records of amphipod crustaceans along the Israeli Mediterranean coast, including a rare Mediterranean endemic species, Maera schieckei Karaman & Ruffo, 1971

“…A recent estimate fixes the number of benthic amphipod species in the Mediterranean basin at 449 ( Coll et al 2010 ). Yet, there is no doubt that this number is an underestimate and that we lack information for wide swathes of the region as research efforts vary greatly along the coasts of the Mediterranean and even amongst particular habitats within well-studied areas ( Lo Brutto et al 2019 , Curatolo et al 2013 ). A cursory examination of recent publications reveals the magnitude of the gaps.…”

Foreword to the Special Issue “New frontiers for monitoring European biodiversity: the role and importance of amphipod crustaceans”

“…The diversity of these studies, in terms of the subjects covered, accurately reflects the vast diversity of the taxon they are centred upon. The studies cover topics as diverse as classical taxonomy (Bueno et al, 2013;Krapp-Schickel, 2013), community ecology , behaviour of aquatic and semiterrestrial species, DNA barcoding (Marusso et al, 2013), population genetics and morphometrics (Curatolo et al, 2013).…”