Genetic variability of New Caledonian Boeckella De Guerne & Richard, 1889 (Copepoda: Calanoida), with description of a new species

• Published in: Journal of Crustacean Biology
• Main Authors: Royaux, Coline, Charpin, Nicolas, Rabet, Nicolas
• Other Authors: Biologie des Organismes et Ecosystèmes Aquatiques (BOREA), Université de Caen Normandie (UNICAEN), Normandie Université (NU)-Normandie Université (NU)-Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université des Antilles (UA)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2024
• Subjects: conservation; Crustacea; micro-endemism; freshwater zooplankton; mining perturbation; morphology; phylogeny; population genetics; [SDV.BID.SPT]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Biodiversity/Systematics; Phylogenetics and taxonomy; [SDV.BA.ZI]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Animal biology/Invertebrate Zoology; [SDV.GEN.GA]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Genetics/Animal genetics; [SDV.GEN.GPO]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Genetics/Populations and Evolution [q-bio.PE]; Antarctic; Boeckella; Antarc*
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-04681440; https://hal.science/hal-04681440/document; https://hal.science/hal-04681440/file/JCB-2731_HAL.pdf; https://doi.org/10.1093/jcbiol/ruae001

International audience Thirteen new freshwater populations of the copepod genus Boeckella De Guerne & Richard, 1889 were found during three expeditions to New Caledonia (‘La Planète Revisitée,’ 2016-2018). The 12 populations from the Plaine des Lacs, which show remarkable genetic diversity among themselves, were identified as B. spinogibba Defaye, 1998, the only species of its genus known from New Caledonia until now. The sole exception, the population from Mont-Dore 22 km further east, appeared genetically and morphologically distinct from the others and is described herein as a new species. The two species are distinguished from each other by the shapes of the male and female P5, female Th5, and body colour. A previously published key is amended to separate the species. Our concatenated COI+28S phylogeny places the two New Caledonia species as a new branch within Boeckella, distinct from the branches consisting of South American, Antarctic and Australasian species. All 13 Boeckella populations inhabit the extreme south of New Caledonia, an area known for endemism and high heavy metal concentrations in the soil. Extensive mining activity in this metal-rich area, begun in 1873, is now leading to conflict with conservation goals. By using aerial photographs to trace the fate of the pond that is the type locality of B. spinogibba, we confirmed that it disappeared between 2007 and 2014 as a result of the expansion of the Goro nickel mine.