Journal Article
Revealing European cave shrimp diversity: a new species of Spelaeocaris (Decapoda, Atyidae) named through public participation
Jugovic, J., Fišer, C., Zagmajster, M., Delić, T. and Zakšek, V.
Record Number:
7107
Year:
2026
Journal:
ZooKeys
Pages:
51-76
Volume:
1267
Notes:
Copyright: © Jure Jugovic et al. This is an open access article distributed under terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (Attribution 4.0 International – CC BY 4.0)
Abstract:
The family Atyidae, the world’s largest family of freshwater shrimps, is represented
in Europe almost exclusively by subterranean species. The Dinaric Karst of the northwestern Balkans is among the most species-rich regions for atyids, hosting two genera, Troglocaris and Spelaeocaris. Recent speleobiological surveys in the southern Dinaric Karst of Bosnia and Herzegovina revealed a new cave shrimp species, described here as Spelaeocaris electa Jugovic & Zakšek, sp. nov. based on specimens collected during several field campaigns during 2013 and 2021. The epithet “electa” was chosen by a
public vote, with the aim of involving local communities in the species naming process
and raising awareness of subterranean biodiversity. Phylogenetic analyses, including
species of the three European subterranean atyid genera (Spelaeocaris, Troglocaris and
Xiphocaridinella) revealed its close relationship with S. hercegovinensis. Morphologically,
S. electa Jugovic & Zakšek, sp. nov. is characterized by a weakly bilobed distal end of
the telson, which is slightly concave in the centre, by a long rostrum, and the interchange
of long and short spines on the appendix masculina. The discovery of S. electa Jugovic
& Zakšek, sp. nov. highlights the exceptional subterranean biodiversity and high endemism
of the Dinaric Karst, and emphasizes the need for continued taxonomic research
and strengthened conservation efforts in this area.
Key words: Cave fauna, conservation, Dinaric Karst, endemism, public naming, subterranean
Times Cited:
1
Relevent Species: