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

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 underestima...

分子分类学（Molecular taxonomy）常揭示隐存种（cryptic species）的存在，这提醒我们分类学的不完整性比以往认知更为严重。隐存种在保护中的重要性尚未得到充分认识。尽管部分隐存种可能面临严重威胁或具有其他重要价值，但由于多数尚未被描述，它们极少被纳入保护计划。我们通过深入研究南欧地下端足类Niphargus stygius sensu lato的隐存复合体，分析了隐存种在保护中的重要性。借助单基因座和多基因座界定方法，我们发现该复合体包含15个邻域分布和同域分布的物种，并通过分子诊断对其进行描述。这些新物种并非单纯的"分类学膨胀"（taxonomic inflation），因为它们源自该属内多个不同分支，且共存时无谱系共享的证据。它们在进化上的独特性与同属内普通的命名种相当。忽视这些隐存种将低估...