Molecular and morphological differentiation between two Miocene-divergent lineages of Amazonian shrimps, with the description of a new species (Decapoda, Palaemonidae, Palaemon).

ABSTRACT: Palaemoncarteri (Gordon, 1935) and Palaemonivonicus (Holthuis, 1950) are morphologically similar species of South American freshwater shrimps. Past studies have questioned the taxonomic status of both species, which are supposed to have partially sympatric geographic distributions in the Amazon basin. We analyzed a 550 bp fragment of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene from these Amazonian Palaemon species as well as from 11 palaemonids as the outgroup. Additionally, we checked diagnostic characters of the genus and family as well as other morphological characters that have been little explored before. Palaemoncarteri and Palaemonivonicus are allocated in two sister lineages, with wide genetic divergence and little morphological differentiation. The divergence time between these lineages was e

SUBMITTER: Carvalho FL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4283366 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature