What if some of the most important clues about marine biodiversity were already collected but never fully shared?
That’s the question that motivated this study, published in Biodiversity Data Journal. It brought together over 40 years of unpublished data on marine amphipods – ecologically crucial crustaceans – from across Italian waters. By unifying scattered records and making them openly accessible, researchers have assembled comprehensive and up-to-date inventories of these species for the Mediterranean.
Satellite image of the Mediterranean Sea with Italy and Sicily. Image provided by Prof. Sabrina Lo Brutto.
Researchers analysed 4,344 previously unpublished records spanning from 1980 to 2025, identifying 302 amphipod species across the Adriatic, Tyrrhenian, and Ionian Seas. Interestingly, they found that the Tyrrhenian Sea harbours the highest taxonomic richness (258 species), while the Adriatic Sea accounts for the greatest number of records due to intense historical sampling.
A Number of species per sea; B Venn diagram illustrating the distribution and shared amphipod species across the three areas, Tyrrhenian Sea (light blue), Ionian Sea (red), Adriatic Sea (blue). Credit to Badalucco et al., 2026.
This work not only updates the Italian inventory but also reinforces the country’s central role as a biodiversity hotspot in the Mediterranean.
noted Prof. Sabrina Lo Brutto of the Department of Earth and Sea Sciences (DiSTeM) at the University of Palermo, the coordinator of the study.
Why amphipods matter
A female hyalid amphipod species (Serejohyale sicilia) with eggs. Image credit to Prof. Sabrina Lo Brutto.
Amphipods are small, often just a few millimeters long, but they play an outsized role in marine ecosystems. They recycle nutrients, connect food webs, and serve as prey for fish, birds, and mammals. Because they respond quickly to environmental stress, they are also powerful bioindicators, helping scientists detect pollution and ecological changes.
Yet despite their importance, our knowledge of where these species live has been fragmented. In some cases, outdated or incomplete records have even led to cascading misidentifications in the scientific literature.
A collaborative effort across Italy
Map showing the distribution of the georeferenced species records. Points were differentiated by colours, based on the sea upon which they lie: Tyrrhenian Sea (light blue), Ionian Sea (red) and Adriatic Sea (blue). Credit to Badalucco et al., 2026.
This study represents a collective effort coordinated under the National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC). Researchers from universities, environmental agencies, and research institutes across Italy contributed data spanning more than four decades.
By harmonizing these datasets under the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable), we ensured that the information was not only scientifically robust but also openly available for future research.
commented the first author of the study, Dr. Antonina Badalucco (Dept. DiSTeM, University of Palermo).
The full dataset is now accessible via the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), making it a resource for scientists worldwide.
A changing Mediterranean
Percentage of the amphipod species per substrate/habitat categories. *The species Dendropoma petraeum is now accepted as Dendropoma cristatum. Credit to Badalucco et al., 2026.
The presence of non-indigenous species is a reminder that marine ecosystems are rapidly evolving. The study identified 11 alien species primarily concentrated in ports, lagoons such as the Venice Lagoon, and aquaculture facilities. Increased shipping, aquaculture, and global connectivity are allowing these species to travel farther and establish themselves in new environments, sometimes with significant ecological consequences.
At the same time, researchers observed that sampling efforts have intensified dramatically in the last decade, driven in part by European environmental policies such as the Marine Strategy Framework Directive – generating a surge in available data, while also highlighting how much earlier information had remained underused.
Why this matters now
Understanding where species live is the foundation of conservation. Without accurate distribution data, it’s nearly impossible to track biodiversity loss, identify vulnerable habitats, or design effective protection strategies.
Prof. Lo Brutto explained
By filling long-standing gaps in knowledge, this research supports broader efforts – such as the EU’s and National Biodiversity Future Centre’s shared goal to protect 30% of land and sea by 2030 – and provides a baseline for monitoring future environmental change.
Looking ahead
This is not the end of the story; it’s a starting point. Our study shows the immense value of unlocking existing data and making it accessible. We hope it will inspire similar efforts across other regions and taxonomic groups, helping to build a more complete picture of life in our oceans.
Prof. Lo Brutto concluded
Original study:
Badalucco A, Auriemma R, Balistreri P, Baratti M, Bonifazi A, Capillo G, Cimmaruta R, Coccia I, D’Amore A, Desiderato A, D’Iglio C, Grech D, Iaciofano D, Lattanzi L, Lezzi M, Lionello M, Macaluso E, Mancini E, Martino C, Marusso V, Mercurio M, Mucciolo S, Prato E, Pulieri M, Puthod P, Scipione MB, Scirocco T, Sirchia B, Specchiulli A, Targusi M, Trabucco B, Vannucci A, Rosati I, Lo Brutto S (2026) A contribution to the inventory of marine amphipod species from Italian waters based on unpublished sources and FAIR principles. Biodiversity Data Journal 14: e189256. https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.14.e189256
Researchers have announced the discovery of 24 new deep-sea amphipod species – including one new superfamily – from the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ), in the central Pacific Ocean.
Researchers have announced the discovery of 24 new deep-sea amphipod species – including one new superfamily – from the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ), in the central Pacific Ocean.
The discoveries have been published as part of a new open-access ZooKeys special issue, mark a significant advance in identifying the biodiversity of the CCZ – an area which spans six million square kilometres between Hawai’i and Mexico.
The research revealed a number of firsts for science, with 24 newly described species spanning 10 amphipod families, including predators and scavengers.
Map of the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ), Central Pacific Ocean. A. Contract areas from which samples were collected; B. Detail of the central BGR exploration contract area; C. Detail of the eastern CCZ contract areas and APEI-6. (Image credit: Horton et al.).
Notable discoveries include:
A new family (Mirabestiidae) and superfamily (Mirabestioidea), revealing completely new evolutionary branches.
Two new genera (Mirabestia and Pseudolepechinella).
Deepest-known records for multiple genera.
First molecular barcodes for rare species.
“To find a new superfamily is incredibly exciting, and very rarely happens so this is a discovery we will all remember.
With more than 90% of species in the CCZ still unnamed, each species described is a vital step towards improving our understanding of this fascinating ecosystem.
Describing the species encountered during these studies is a critical step in documenting the rich biodiversity of the CCZ, enabling us to communicate effectively about the fauna.”
Dr Tammy Horton
Syrrhoe manowitzae sp. nov. (Image credit: Hughes et al.).
A Global Collaboration
Taxonomy is vital to understanding the fauna of the CCZ, providing fundamental knowledge of species, their distributions, and how each species contributes to the fragile ecosystem.
The collaborative project also demonstrated the effectiveness of running coordinated and focused taxonomic workshops, providing a model way of working for the future.
Participants of the taxonomic workshop at University of Lodz in 2024. (Image credit: Anna Jażdżewska).
“This was a truly collaborative process that allowed us to achieve the ambitious goal of describing more than 20 species new to science within a year – something that would not have been possible if each of us worked independently.
The team’s findings provide information that is crucial for future conservation and policy decisions, and it highlights how important it is for this work to continue.”
Anna Jażdżewska, University of Lodz
Through initiatives such as these describing around 25 species per year, the amphipods in the eastern CCZ could be almost completely known within 10 years.
What’s in a name?
New species must each be named, and that honour falls to the research team who often draw inspiration from those around them.
Many of the 24 new species have been given meaningful names by those who have spent time learning about them and describing them.
Co-leads Dr Tammy Horton and Anna Jażdżewska both saw species named for them, Byblis hortonae, Thrombasia aniaandByblisoides jazdzewskae (respectively).
Byblis hortonae sp. nov. (Image credit: Peart et al.).
A. CLSM photograph of Thrombasia ania sp. nov. B microscope photograph of Thrombasia ania sp. nov. (Image credit: Anna Jażdżewska).
Byblisoides jazdzewskae sp. nov. (Image credit: Peart et al.).
Dr Horton named one of the species in the new superfamily (Mirabestia maisie) after her daughter, who has waited several years to join her siblings in having that unusual honour.
A. Mirabestia maisie sp. nov. immature; B.Mirabestia maisie sp. nov. mature female. (Image credit: Horton et al.).
There was an opportunity to pay tribute to the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS), with Eperopeus vermiculatus being given the name in recognition of WoRMS which researchers described as providing a ‘wonderful resource for all marine taxonomists’.
Eperopeus vermiculatus sp. nov., habitus of the female holotype. Photograph of preserved specimen. (Image credit: Tammy Horton).
Involving early‑career scientists (including students) also allowed them to leave their mark in the species names, by commemorating their relatives and by creating intriguing links between the deep sea and the virtual world. According to the author, one species, Lepidepecreum myla, resembles Myla (a character from a video game), as both ‘are just little arthropods trying to survive in total darkness.’
Lepidepecreum myla sp. nov. A. Photograph of unstained individual before manipulation; B. CLSM photography; C. Dorsal view of the animal. (Image credit: Horton et al.).
The team also drew inspiration from linguistics for one species, with Pseudolepechinella apricity representing the spirit of warmth of friendship that came from the week-long workshop.
“Apricity means the feeling of the warmth of the winter sun, and it is one of my favourite words. It was very apt to use during the workshop as we discussed our findings in the warmth of the February sun amid the snow of the Polish winter in Lodz. It was certainly fitting to also use it for one of our amphipod discoveries.
We came together as research colleagues, but the spirit of collaboration and shared experience shone through, so it was important to recognise that in our work.”
Dr Tammy Horton
Pseudolepechinella apricity sp. nov. (Image credit: Horton et al.).
ENDS
About the National Oceanography Centre (NOC)
The UK’s National Oceanography Centre (NOC) is one of the world’s top ocean research institutions. NOC’s scientists work around the globe, uncovering links between the ocean, climate change and biodiversity loss, to help every living thing on our planet flourish.
NOC solves challenging multidisciplinary, large scale, long-term marine science problems to underpin international and UK public policy, business and societal outcomes.
NOC is a company limited by guarantee set up under the law of England and Wales (11444362) and registered as a charity (1185265).
NOC operates the Royal Research Ships James Cook and Discovery and develops technology for coastal and deep ocean research.
Working with its partners NOC provides long-term marine science capability including: sustained ocean observations, mapping and surveying; data management; modelling and scientific research and advice.
Among the resources that the NOC provides on behalf of the UK are the British Oceanographic Data Centre (BODC), the Marine Autonomous and Robotic Systems (MARS) facility, the National Marine Equipment Pool (NMEP), the National Tide and Sea Level Facility (NTSLF), the Permanent Service for Mean Sea Level (PSMSL) and British Ocean Sediment Core Research Facility (BOSCORF).
About the University of Lodz (UL), Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection and Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Hydrobiology
The University of Lodz is a vibrant academic community whose history began on 24 May 1945. Although we are one of the youngest universities in Poland, today we rank among the country’s largest public institutions of higher education.
More than 20,000 students learn across our 12 faculties, supported by an engaged academic community of teachers, researchers, and professional staff. Together, we create an environment shaped not only by knowledge, but by everyday collaboration and shared responsibility.
Scientific research at the Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection (FB&EP) has been conducted since the establishment of the University of Lodz. The Faculty is one of the largest biological faculties in Poland that carries out research within the area of all disciplines of biological sciences at the European level. Research projects carried out at the FB&EP encompass basic, applied, as well as methodological studies.
The Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Hydrobiology is one of the oldest units established at the founding of the University of Lodz. As a dynamic and international group of researchers at various career stages, the Department conducts studies on biodiversity, taxonomy, and the ecology of diverse invertebrate groups (including marine fauna), using a wide range of methods—from traditional microscopy to advanced molecular analyses.
About Pensoft Publishers
Pensoft is an independent, open-access scholarly publisher and technology provider, best known for its 30+ biodiversity journals, including ZooKeys, Biodiversity Data Journal, PhytoKeys, MycoKeys, One Ecosystem, and Metabarcoding and Metagenomics. Ever since becoming the first to introduce semantic enrichments and hyperlinks within a scientific article in the field of biodiversity in 2010, Pensoft has been working on various tools and workflows designed to facilitate data findability, accessibility, discoverability and interoperability.
Decades after it was first found in Japan, a species of crustacean with unique black-and-white coloring that resembles a panda has been confirmed to be new to science. Melitid amphipods are shrimp-like crustaceans found worldwide. The newly classified Melita panda — named after the charismatic mammal — was first found in the 1990s. Details of the discovery and morphological analysis were published in a ZooKeysarticle on 21 September.
A panda sitting on a rock outdoors, holding a bamboo branch
The discovery of the Melita panda highlights the importance of studying species taxonomy, which is the naming and classification of organisms, for conservation efforts. It is impossible to know if a species is in danger of disappearing if it hasn’t even been identified.
“Despite the fact that biodiversity conservation is a global issue, species diversity and other aspects of biodiversity are still not fully understood. As a first step toward species conservation, we conducted a taxonomic study of amphipod Crustacea, which boasts high species diversity around Japan,” said Ko Tomikawa, a professor at Hiroshima University’s Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences in Hiroshima, Japan.
A new species of amphipod with a unique panda pattern was found in the intertidal zone of the Japanese coast. Photo credit: Ko Tomikawa/Hiroshima University
Before the discovery of Melita panda, there were 63 known species of Melita amphipods, with 16 of those found in Japan. Melita panda was found in intertidal waters in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. There are likely even more unidentified and undescribed species of Melita amphipods in Japan’s coastal waters.
“Study on the amphipod Crustacea in the coastal zone of Japan is lagging behind. In order to accurately assess species diversity, taxonomic studies are necessary. We hope the discovery of a new species of amphipod with the familiar coloring of the panda pattern will increase the public’s interest in biodiversity and taxonomy,” said Tomikawa.
A line drawing of Melita panda.
To identify the Melita panda, researchers did both a morphological study and molecular phylogeny using genomic DNA. The morphological description of Melita panda found unique features including its panda-like colors and other physical characteristics, while molecular phylogeny is used to identify how closely related the Melita panda is to other Melita amphipods. This information is used to create a phylogenetic tree or evolutionary tree of the known Melita amphipods. Phylogenetic trees are diagrams that show the evolutionary relationships between species.
A line drawing of Melita Panda‘s gnathopod 1.
The molecular phylogeny found that Melita panda is closely related to two other Melita amphipods, the Melita nagatai and Melita koreana. The panda-like coloring distinguishes Melita panda from these two other amphipods, along with other physical differences. Its gnathopods, which are claws that extend from the second thoracic segment, sit more forward than other Melita amphipods, covering another one of its appendages. Its setae, which are hair-like structures that look like bristles, are also distinguishable from other Melita amphipods. Together, the Melita nagatai, Melita koreana, and newly discovered Melita panda form a monophyletic group. This means they have a common evolutionary ancestor. In this case, it is the Melita hoshinoi.
Looking ahead, researchers will continue to study the Melita panda.
“Hopefully, a detailed study of the ecology and behavior of Melita panda will reveal the reason for its panda pattern,” said Tomikawa.
Beyond Melita panda, Tomikawa emphasized that there is still more to study.
“Further taxonomic studies on amphipods in uninvestigated areas are expected to lead to the discovery of additional new species. Continued taxonomic studies are expected to elucidate the biodiversity in the coastal environments of the Japanese archipelago and provide important basic data for species conservation,” he said.
Other contributors include Shigeyuki Yamato of Shirahama Katata in Wakayama, Japan, and Hiroyuki Ariyama at the Osaka Museum of Natural History in Osaka, Japan.
The Japan Society for the Promotion of Science KAKENHI grants supported this research.
Research article:
Tomikawa K, Yamato S, Ariyama H (2024) Melita panda, a new species of Melitidae (Crustacea, Amphipoda) from Japan. ZooKeys 1212: 267-283. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1212.128858
Driftwood in the sea – either floating or stranded on beaches – is a common feature particularly in temperate regions. Large quantities of driftwood, termed driftwood depositories, may collect at the mouth of small streams associated with marshes and have been present for some 120 millennia – since the origin of flowering plants.
Once marine driftwood begins to decay, it undergoes a specific succession. Firstly, it is colonized by salt tolerant, wood degrading fungi and bacteria, along with a few invertebrates able to digest wood by producing native wood degrading enzymes. The latter include gribbles (isopods) and chelurid amphipods.
Driftwood hoppers (talitrids), as well as isopods, chilopods, insect larvae, some ants and termites, comprize the secondary colonizers. They are all characterized by their inability to utilize driftwood directly. Instead, they rely on symbiotic microflora for digestive purposes.
Within all talitrids, the driftwood hoppers count as few as seven species, most likely because they are extremely difficult to locate and, therefore, discover and describe. Apart from living in tiny burrows, they measure between 13 and <6 mm, which makes the latter the smallest known talitrid.
Having reviewed the driftwood specialized talitrids, Dr. David Wildish of the St. Andrews Biological Station, Canada, concludes that all seven known species demonstrate dwarfism based on slow metabolism and growth. Their sexual development begins earlier compared to faster growing related species. All of them are also characterized with reduced eye size and absence of dorsal pigment patterns.
In his review article published in the open access journal Zoosystematics and Evolution, the scientist confirms that dwarfism in driftwood hoppers has evolved due to poor diet, in turn resulting in slowed metabolism and growth. A further adaptive challenge is the empty gribble burrow size occupied by talitrids (burrow diameter between 0.6 to 5 mm) with the smaller ones being more widespread. Larger talitrids can only complete their life cycle in the larger burrows.
“The size gradient in gribble burrow diameter provides a satisfactory explanation for serial dwarfism within the driftwood talitrids and is why each species becomes successively smaller,” explains the researcher.
Responsibility for first establishing the driftwood talitrid ecological grouping was made during graduate studies by David Wildish, London University, U.K., and Laura Pavesi, University of Rome, Italy. The two criteria for inclusion of a talitrid in the driftwood grouping was: behavioral fidelity to the occupied driftwood and that the food source was solely rotting driftwood (see references).
The larger talitrid family are small/medium in body length (< 30 mm) crustaceans with more than 400 species described in the world list. Ecological groupings within the family include marine/estuarine supralittoral wrack generalists, sand-burrowing, marsh-living and driftwood specialists. A few freshwater and many terrestrial species are also known.
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Original source:
Wildish DJ (2017) Evolutionary ecology of driftwood talitrids: a review. Zoosystematics and Evolution 93(2): 353-361. https://doi.org/10.3897/zse.93.12582
