The importance of naming cryptic species and the conservation of endemic subterranean amphipods

Abstract Molecular taxonomy often uncovers cryptic species, reminding us that taxonomic incompleteness is even more severe than previous thought. The importance of cryptic species for conservation is poorly understood. Although some cryptic species may be seriously threatened or otherwise important,...

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Autores principales:	Teo Delić, Peter Trontelj, Michal Rendoš, Cene Fišer
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Nature Portfolio 2017
Materias:	Medicine R Science Q
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/df43364e8ffe470da3957932a1219c7d
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:df43364e8ffe470da3957932a1219c7d2021-12-02T12:32:17ZThe importance of naming cryptic species and the conservation of endemic subterranean amphipods10.1038/s41598-017-02938-z2045-2322https://doaj.org/article/df43364e8ffe470da3957932a1219c7d2017-06-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-02938-zhttps://doaj.org/toc/2045-2322Abstract Molecular taxonomy often uncovers cryptic species, reminding us that taxonomic incompleteness is even more severe than previous thought. The importance of cryptic species for conservation is poorly understood. Although some cryptic species may be seriously threatened or otherwise important, they are rarely included in conservation programs as most of them remain undescribed. We analysed the importance of cryptic species in conservation by scrutinizing the South European cryptic complex of the subterranean amphipod Niphargus stygius sensu lato. Using uni- and multilocus delineation methods we show that it consists of 15 parapatric and sympatric species, which we describe using molecular diagnoses. The new species are not mere “taxonomic inflation” as they originate from several distinct branches within the genus and coexist with no evidence of lineage sharing. They are as evolutionarily distinct as average nominal species of the same genus. Ignoring these cryptic species will underestimate the number of subterranean endemics in Slovenia by 12 and in Croatia by four species, although alpha diversity of single caves remains unchanged. The new taxonomy renders national Red Lists largely obsolete, as they list mostly large-ranged species but omit critically endangered single-site endemics. Formal naming of cryptic species is critical for them to be included in conservation policies and faunal listings.Teo DelićPeter TronteljMichal RendošCene FišerNature PortfolioarticleMedicineRScienceQENScientific Reports, Vol 7, Iss 1, Pp 1-12 (2017)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Medicine R Science Q
spellingShingle	Medicine R Science Q Teo Delić Peter Trontelj Michal Rendoš Cene Fišer The importance of naming cryptic species and the conservation of endemic subterranean amphipods
description	Abstract Molecular taxonomy often uncovers cryptic species, reminding us that taxonomic incompleteness is even more severe than previous thought. The importance of cryptic species for conservation is poorly understood. Although some cryptic species may be seriously threatened or otherwise important, they are rarely included in conservation programs as most of them remain undescribed. We analysed the importance of cryptic species in conservation by scrutinizing the South European cryptic complex of the subterranean amphipod Niphargus stygius sensu lato. Using uni- and multilocus delineation methods we show that it consists of 15 parapatric and sympatric species, which we describe using molecular diagnoses. The new species are not mere “taxonomic inflation” as they originate from several distinct branches within the genus and coexist with no evidence of lineage sharing. They are as evolutionarily distinct as average nominal species of the same genus. Ignoring these cryptic species will underestimate the number of subterranean endemics in Slovenia by 12 and in Croatia by four species, although alpha diversity of single caves remains unchanged. The new taxonomy renders national Red Lists largely obsolete, as they list mostly large-ranged species but omit critically endangered single-site endemics. Formal naming of cryptic species is critical for them to be included in conservation policies and faunal listings.
format	article
author	Teo Delić Peter Trontelj Michal Rendoš Cene Fišer
author_facet	Teo Delić Peter Trontelj Michal Rendoš Cene Fišer
author_sort	Teo Delić
title	The importance of naming cryptic species and the conservation of endemic subterranean amphipods
title_short	The importance of naming cryptic species and the conservation of endemic subterranean amphipods
title_full	The importance of naming cryptic species and the conservation of endemic subterranean amphipods
title_fullStr	The importance of naming cryptic species and the conservation of endemic subterranean amphipods
title_full_unstemmed	The importance of naming cryptic species and the conservation of endemic subterranean amphipods
title_sort	importance of naming cryptic species and the conservation of endemic subterranean amphipods
publisher	Nature Portfolio
publishDate	2017
url	https://doaj.org/article/df43364e8ffe470da3957932a1219c7d
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The importance of naming cryptic species and the conservation of endemic subterranean amphipods

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