Daphnia japonica sp. nov. (Crustacea: Cladocera) an eastern Palearctic montane species with mitochondrial discordance

The Daphnia longispina complex (Crustacea: Cladocera) contains several keystone freshwater species such as D. longispina O.F. Muller (D. rosea Sars is a junior synonym), D. galeata Sars, D. cucullata Sars, and D. dentifera Forbes. The complex is common throughout the Holarctic, but there are several geographic regions where local forms have been assigned to European species names based on a superficial morphological resemblance. Here we examine the species status of a form that was previously assigned to D. rosea from a montane bog pond on Honshu, Japan. We used two nuclear non-coding loci (nDNA), mitochondrial sequences (the ND2 protein-coding region) and morphology for evidence. The mitochondrial gene evidence supported the existence of a divergent lineage that is more closely related to D. galeata than to D. dentifera. However, morphology and the nuclear DNA data indicated a lineage that is most closely related to D. dentifera. As our evidence supported the existence of a cohesive divergent lineage, we described a new species, Daphnia japonica sp. nov. Recognition of local and subalpine diversity in this group is critical as ongoing anthropogenic disturbance has been associated with introductions, local extirpations, and hybridization.

Automated summary

The Daphnia longispina complex contains several key freshwater species, and this study identified a new species, Daphnia japonica sp. nov. Recognizing the local and subalpine diversity in this group is crucial due to ongoing anthropogenic disturbance and its potential impacts on introductions, local extirpations, and hybridization.