Molecular phylogenetic analyses reveal a radiation of freshwater Gammarus (Amphipoda: Gammaridae) in the northern Chihuahuan Desert

Abstract

Isolation of desert springs often leads to the evolution of unique biodiversity. We investigated the taxonomy and evolutionary relationships of members of the Gammarus pecos complex, an assemblage of narrowly endemic amphipod species in the Chihuahuan Desert of the USA. Morphological and molecular phylogenetic analyses, including newly obtained COI sequences from the now-extinct type population of Gammarus desperatus, reveal the presence of two undescribed species and lead to redescription of G. desperatus. Gammarus acerbatus sp. nov. is split from G. desperatus and Gammarus balmorhea sp. nov. is split from G. hyalelloides. Each of these species is endemic to a single spring system. Speciation in the Gammarus pecos complex was likely promoted by the lineage’s ties to marine/riverine systems and geological events during the Oligocene/Miocene. The additional diversity discovered within the complex highlights the effects of both habitat and evolutionary history on the processes of speciation at local and regional spatial scales. The entire complex of at least six species is imperilled due to the narrow ranges occupied by each species and human water-use that threatens the existence of their spring habitats.