A new extremophile ostracod crustacean from the Movile Cave sulfidic chemoautotrophic ecosystem in Romania.

ABSTRACT: Sulfidic cave ecosystems are remarkable evolutionary hotspots that have witnessed adaptive radiation of their fauna represented by extremophile species having particular traits. Ostracods, a very old group of crustaceans, exhibit specific morphological and ecophysiological features that enable them to thrive in groundwater sulfidic environments. Herein, we report a peculiar new ostracod species Pseudocandona movilaensis sp. nov. thriving in the chemoautotrophic sulfidic groundwater ecosystem of Movile Cave (Romania). The new species displays a set of homoplastic features specific for unrelated stygobitic species, e.g., triangular carapace in lateral view with reduced postero-dorsal part and simplification of limb chaetotaxy (i.e., loss of some claws and reduction of secondary male sex char

SUBMITTER: Iepure S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10104858 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature