Preface: New challenges in anostracan research, a tribute to Graziella Mura

New challenges in anostracan research: old issues, new perspectives and hot topics

“…In fact, as stressed by Brendonck et al (2008), Anostraca is among the least known taxonomic groups in inland waters and, although some data are available on large-scale distributions of species and higher taxa (e.g., Brtek & Thiéry, 1995;Brtek & Mura, 2000;Brendonck et al, 2008;Stoch et al, 2016), we are still far from a clear understanding of the phylogeny, ecology and biogeography of the order, probably due to the fact that they mainly inhabit temporary ponds, a poorly studied ecosystems (e.g., Bagella et al, 2016). This paper summarizes the outcomes of a call we launched about 1 year ago among scientists working on Anostraca to commemorate Professor Graziella Mura, a pioneer of modern studies on this group of animals, who had recently passed away (Marrone et al, 2017b). Several colleagues from around the world answered the call, and we are proud to present this Hydrobiologia Special Volume ''New Challenges in Anostracan Research: A Tribute to Graziella Mura''.…”