The first record of Neogammarus (syn. Rhipidogammarus) karamani (Stock, 1971) (Crustacea: Amphipoda) in a marine subterranean cave of Malta

Abstract

The crustaceans, with their incredible variety of body plans, are a key group for studying how much anatomical specializations have diversified, revealing the taxonomic and habitat diversity. Remarkably, the amphipod crustaceans are interesting with their diverse morphologies, not been deeply investigated yet, being a model taxon to detect threats to biodiversity as they are often peculiar to specific habitats (Lo Brutto et al. 2021; Lo Brutto et al. 2022). The Mediterranean Sea includes many habitats still unexplored (Lo Brutto et al. 2024a), rare species (Lo Brutto & Iaciofano 2020) and groups which need to be revised for different taxonomic issues to assess better their distribution and ecology (Lo Brutto et al. 2024b). A case of a recent synonymy regards Neogammarus Karaman, 1969 and Rhipidogammarus Stock, 1971. The last became the synonym since the type species – designating Gammarus rhipidiophorus Catta, 1878 – which was fixed by Karaman (1969) for Neogammarus was successively used by Stock (1971) when erected the genus Rhipidogammarus Stock, 1971. The designation of the same type of species created a problematic situation. Thus, as Neogammarus Karaman, 1969 had nomenclatural precedence over Rhipidogammarus Stock, 1971, all the species included within Rhipidogammarus Stock, 1971 have been transferred to Neogammarus Karaman, 1969 (Rosas-Ramos et al. 2023).