A new species of freshwater Chaetonotidae (Gastrotricha, Chaetonotida) from Obodska Cave (Montenegro) based on morphological and molecular characters
Gastrotricha is a cosmopolitan phylum of aquatic and semi-aquatic invertebrates that comprises about 820 described species. Current knowledge regarding freshwater gastrotrichs inhabiting caves is extremely poor and there are no extant data regarding Gastrotricha from Montenegro. We describe a new sp...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Consortium of European Natural History Museums
2017-09-01
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| Series: | European Journal of Taxonomy |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/view/479 |
| Summary: | Gastrotricha is a cosmopolitan phylum of aquatic and semi-aquatic invertebrates that comprises about 820 described species. Current knowledge regarding freshwater gastrotrichs inhabiting caves is extremely poor and there are no extant data regarding Gastrotricha from Montenegro. We describe a new species from Obodska Cave, which is also the first record of a gastrotrich from this region. Due to its unusual habitat and morphological characteristics, this species may be important when considering the evolution and dispersion routes of Chaetonotidae Gosse, 1864 (sensu Leasi & Todaro 2008). We provide morphometric, molecular and phylogenetic data for the new species, together with photomicrographs and drawings. |
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| ISSN: | 2118-9773 |