Integrative taxonomy revisits the ontogeny and trophic niches of Rimicaris vent shrimps.

ABSTRACT: Among hydrothermal vent species, Rimicaris exoculata is one of the most emblematic, hosting abundant and diverse ectosymbioses that provide most of its nutrition. Rimicaris exoculata co-occurs in dense aggregates with the much less abundant Rimicaris chacei in many Mid-Atlantic Ridge vent fields. This second shrimp also houses ectosymbiotic microorganisms but has a mixotrophic diet. Recent observations have suggested potential misidentifications between these species at their juvenile stages, which could have led to misinterpretations of their early-life ecology. Here, we confirm erroneous identification of the earliest stages and propose a new set of morphological characters unambiguously identifying juveniles of each species. On the basis of this reassessment, combin

SUBMITTER: Methou P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7428246 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature