Black-And-White Disruptive Coloration May be Convergent: A New Species of Melita (Amphipoda: Melitidae) from Japan.

Abstract

A new species of melitid amphipod, Melita pandina sp. nov., is described from the uppermost subtidal and intertidal waters of Osaka and Wakayama Prefectures, Japan. Melita pandina belongs to Group B2, one of the four species groups defined within the genus, but differs from its congeners by the presence of setae on mandibular palp article 1. Molecular phylogenetic analyses indicate that M. pandina sp. nov. and Melita panda Tomikawa, Yamato and Ariyama, 2024-both characterized by distinctive black-and-white disruptive coloration-are not closely related. These results suggest that this color pattern evolved independently at least twice within the Melita genus, indicating a case of convergent evolution.