Research Article |
Corresponding author: Zhao-Liang Guo ( zlguo@fosu.edu.cn ) Academic editor: Luis Ernesto Bezerra
© 2022 Guo-Cai Guo, Qing-Hua Chen, Wen-Jian Chen, Chao-Huang Cai, Zhao-Liang Guo.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation:
Guo G-C, Chen Q-H, Chen W-J, Cai C-H, Guo Z-L (2022) Caridina stellata, a new species of atyid shrimp (Decapoda, Caridea, Atyidae) with the male description of Caridina cavernicola Liang & Zhou, 1993 from Guangxi, China. ZooKeys 1104: 177-201. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1104.81836
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Caridina stellata sp. nov. is described from streams in Guangxi, south-western China. The new species clearly belongs to “Caridina serrata group” of the genus and shows a morphological similarity with C. cantonensis Yu, 1938, C. serrata Stimpson, 1860 and C. pacbo
COI and 16S rRNA, ecology, habitat, levels of threat, new species, south-western China
Caridina H. Milne Edwards, 1837, the largest genus of the family Atyidae, contains more than 300 species and the Indo-West Pacific Region is where the highest diversity is centred (
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region has 89500 km2 of karst landscape, accounting for 37.8% of the total area (
A faunal survey for freshwater shrimps from the karst habitats of Guangxi in 2018–2019 yielded numerous specimens referable to the genus Caridina. In comparing these specimens, we found that they do not fit the descriptions of any of the currently identified congeneric species and we hereby recognise them as belonging to a new species, C. stellata sp. nov.
Caridina cavernicola was described by
Traditional species descriptions primarily utilised morphological differentiation, illustrations and locality data as diagnostic. The incorporation of morphological and molecular data in species delimitation allows a high level of confidence, crucial for both biodiversity and ecological research. Therefore, the molecular analyses and habitat characterisation of the two species through direct observations are provided. Risk assessments for both are also presented and suggest they both should be categorised as vulnerable (VU) under the current IUCN Criteria.
Sample collection. The shrimp samples were obtained from the karst habitats of Guangxi (Fig.
Specimens were examined using a dissecting microscope (Olympus SZX7). Morphometric measurements on selected characters and illustrations were made using a digital camera (DP22) mounted on a stereomicroscope (Olympus SZX7) with Olympus CellSens Entry v.1.18 software. The measuring method of morphometric characters follows that of
The following abbreviations are used throughout the text: alt (altitude), cl (carapace length, measured from the postorbital margin to the posterior margin of the carapace), rl (rostral length, measured from the rostral tip to the postorbital margin) and tl (total length, measured from the rostral tip to the posterior margin of the telson). All measurements are in millimetres.
Voucher specimens were deposited in the collection of the Department of Animal Science, School of Life Science and Engineering, Foshan University (FU).
An appropriate amount of shrimp abdominal muscle was taken and put in a 1.5 ml centrifuge tube. DNA was extracted according to the instructions of the EasyPure Genomic DNA Kit (TransGen Biotech, Beijing, China) and then stored in a -20 °C freezer.
Segments of COI and 16S rRNA were amplified by using the primers COI-F-Car and COI-R-Car and 16S-F-Car and 16S-R-Car (
The DNA sequence of Caridina stellata sp. nov. has been deposited in GenBank and 59 sequences have been downloaded from GenBank (Table
Species used in the molecular analysis, with details on sampling locations, GenBank accession numbers (COI, 16S rRNA) (a, Klotz W et al. 2014; b, Chen QH et al. 2020; c, Xu DJ et al. 2020; d, Oliveira, C. M. et al. 2019).
Species | Sampling locality | GenBank accession numbers | |
---|---|---|---|
COI | 16S rRNA | ||
C. stellata sp. nov. | Jinxiu Guangxi | MZ753496 | MZ753799 |
Jinxiu Guangxi | MZ753497 | MZ753800 | |
C. cavernicola | Hechi Guangxi | MZ753498 | MZ753801 |
Hechi Guangxi | MZ753499 | MZ753802 | |
C. venusta | China, Lixi Town, from type loc. | KP168812 a | KP168772 a |
China, Lixi Town, from type loc. | KP168813 a | KP168773 a | |
C. sp. | China, Gao Zhou Shi | KP168790 a | KP168761 a |
China, Gao Zhou Shi | KP168791 a | KP168762 a | |
C. nanaoensis | China | KP168792 a | KP168754 a |
China | – | KP168755 a | |
C. breviata | China, from type loc. | KP168788 a | KP168718 a |
China, from type loc. | KP168789 a | KP168719 a | |
C. zhujiangensis | Dong’ao Island, Zhuhai | MN701603 b | MT446448 c |
Dong’ao Island, Zhuhai | MN701604 b | MT446449 c | |
C. trifasciata | Zhuhai China | KP168795 a | KP168765 a |
Zhuhai China | KP168796 a | KP168766 a | |
C. sinanensis | Sinan Guizhou | MT433963 c | MT434874 c |
Sinan Guizhou | MT433964 c | MT434875 c | |
C. serrata | Dong’ao Island, Zhuhai | MN701595 b | MT446454 c |
Dong’ao Island, Zhuhai | MN701596 b | MT446455 c | |
C. mariae | Nankun Mountain, Huizhou | MN701601 b | MT446456 c |
Nankun Mountain, Huizhou | MN701602 b | MT446457 c | |
C. lanceifrons | Dongfang, Hainan | MN701605 b | MT446450 c |
Dongfang, Hainan | MN701606 b | MT446451 c | |
C. huananensis | Yingde, Qingyuan | MN701607 b | MT446452 c |
Yingde, Qingyuan | MN701608 b | MT446453 c | |
C. cantonensis | Qingyuan, China | KP168802 a | KP168720 a |
Qingyuan, China | KP168803 a | KP168721 a | |
N. palmata | Yangshan, Qingyuan | MN701611 b | – |
Yangshan, Qingyuan | MN701612 b | – | |
China | – | KP168779 a | |
Hong Kong, China | – | KP168780 a | |
A. scabra | Bocas del Toro, Panama | EF489985 d | JF810980 d |
Bocas del Toro, Panama | EF489986 d | JF810981 d |
For the ABGD test, we used COI alignment from the phylogenetic analysis, including the outgroup. ABGD was run online (http://wwwabi.snv.jussieu.fr/public/abgd/abgdweb.html) with the following settings: Pmin = 0.001, Pmax = 0.1, Steps = 10; X = 1.0; Nb bins = 20 and implemented models: Kimura (K80) TS/TV (2.0).
Systematic accounts
Family Atyidae De Haan, 1849
Holotype : male (FU, 2018-11-05-01), cl 5.4 mm, tl 20.8 mm, rl 2.6 mm, a stream near Liuchacun, Jinxiu Town, Jinxiu Yao Autonomous County, Laibin City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China (24°3'59.63"N, 110°17'43.94"E, alt. 622 m), 5 November 2018. Paratype: male (FU,2018-11-05-02), cl 5.3 mm, Paratypes: 15 males (FU, 2018-11-04-03), cl 5.0–6.2 mm; Paratypes: 29 females (FU, 2018-11-05-04), cl 4.9–6.6 mm, same collection data as for holotype.
Paratypes : 17 males (FU,2019-03-20-01), cl 4.7–6.8 mm, three females (FU, 2019-03-20-02), cl 4.5–7.4 mm, a stream near Daxincun, Jinxiu Yao Autonomous County, Laibin City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China (23°57'52.77"N, 110°15'10.91"E, alt. 741 m), 20 March 2019.
Paratypes : Four males (FU, 2019-03-19-01), cl 4.7–6.8 mm, 34 females, one ovigerous (FU, 2019-03-19-02), cl 4.5–7.4 mm, a stream near Jiajiangcun, Jinxiu Yao Autonomous County, Laibin City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China (24°11'13.18"N, 110°8'36.79"E, alt. 839 m). 19 March 2019.
Paratypes : 31 males (FU, 2019-03-19-03), cl 4.7–6.8 mm, 12 females (FU, 2019-03-19-04), cl 4.5–7.4 mm, a stream near Liupai, Jinxiu Yao Autonomous County, Laibin City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China (24°12'12.76"N, 110°8'25.78"E, alt. 510 m), 19 March 2019.
Paratypes : 10 males (FU, 2018-11-26-01), cl 4.7–6.8 mm, seven females (FU, 2018-11-26-02), cl 4.5–7.4 mm, a stream of Lotus Hill Scenic Spot, Dahua Yao Autonomous County, Hechi City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China (24°3'8.12"N, 107°38'30.5"E, alt. 350 m), 26 November 2018.
Caridina cantonensis: 10 females (cl: 4.8–6.9 mm), eight males (cl: 5.5–6.5 mm), Zaomushan, Foshan City, Guangdong Province (22°44'22"N, 112°46'36"E, alt. 56 m), 17 May 2018.
Caridina serrata: 17 females (CL: 3.3–6.7 mm), three ovigerous females (CL: 3.9–5.7 mm), 17 males (CL: 2.8–5.3 mm), Dong’ao Village, Dong’ao Island, Zhuhai City, Guangdong Province (22°01'12"N, 113°42'26"E, alt. 8.4 m), 23 August 2014.
Rostrum long, straight, slightly sloping downwards, reaching to end of 2nd segment of antennular peduncle, occasionally reaching to end of 3rd segment of antennular peduncle; rostral formula 6-8+7-16/6-13. 1st pereiopod carpus 0.43–0.71 × as long as chela, 1.2–1.4 × as long as high; chela 1.8–2.4 × as long as broad; fingers 0.80–1.1 × as long as palm. 2nd pereiopodcarpus 1.1–1.3 × as long as chela, 4.0–4.8 × as long as high; chela 2.1–2.4 × as long as broad; fingers 1.1–1.4 × as long as palm. 3rd pereiopod propodus 4.0–5.5 × as long as dactylus, with two rows thin spines on the posterior margin, ischium with one spine on the posterior margin. 5th pereiopod propodus 4.2–5.3 × as long as dactylus, with two rows of thin spines on the posterior and lateral margins, dactylus terminating in one claw, with 35–40 spinules on flexor margin. Endopod of male 1st pleopod extending to 0.68 × exopod length, wider proximally, rectangle, about 3.7–3.9 × as long as wide, appendix interna well developed, arising from distal 1/6 of endopod, reaching end of endopod. Appendix masculina of male 2nd pleopod cylindrical, reaching to 0.58 length of endopod, appendix interna reaching to 0.50 length of appendix masculina. Uropodal diaeresis with 17–19 movable spinules. Eggs 0.84–0.89 × 1.27–1.39 mm in diameter.
Body : slender and sub-cylindrical, males up to 30.7 mm tl, females up to 32.5 mm tl.
Rostrum
(Fig.
Eyes
(Fig.
Carapace
(Fig.
Antennule
(Fig.
Antenna
(Fig.
Mandible
(Fig.
Maxillula
(Fig.
Maxilla
(Fig.
First maxilliped
(Fig.
Second maxilliped
(Fig.
Branchial formula typical for genus.
Third maxilliped
(Fig.
First pereiopod
(Fig.
Second pereiopod
(Fig.
Third pereiopod
(Fig.
Fifth pereiopod
(Fig.
First four pereiopods with epipod.
First pleopod
(Figs
Second pleopod
(Fig.
Telson
(Fig.
Eggs 0.84–0.89 × 1.27–1.39 mm in diameter.
Body semi-transparent, light reddish-brown colour, with small red pigment spots scattered on whole body, several large red-brown dots on the tergum and the posterior margin of the carapace, red-brown vertical stripes on topside of the 1st and 2nd pleon and lower lateral side of 1st, 3rd, 4th and 5th pleon and carapace; appendages transparent, with red-brown stripes in the distal part of each segment; telson and tail fan bright red (Fig.
Caridina stellata is named after the Latin word stellatus, for dots, alluding to the pigmented pattern of the body.
Caridina stellata sp. nov. clearly belongs to the “Caridina serrata group” of the genus and shows a strong morphological similarity with C. cantonensis Yu, 1936 in shape and indentation of the rostrum. Caridina stellata sp. nov. can be distinguished from C. cantonensis by the broad palp of the 1st maxilliped with a finger-like tip (versus without a finger-like tip in C. cantonensis); rostrum with more ventral teeth (6–13 versus 2–6 in C. cantonensis); the stouter carpus of the 1st pereiopod (1.2–1.4 times as long as wide versus 1.5–1.7 in C. cantonensis); the slender endopod of the 1st male pleopod, about 3.7–3.9 × as long as wide, wider proximally (versus 2.5–3.0, wider terminally in C. cantonensis); completely different shape of the appendix masculina of male 2nd pleopod (Fig.
Caridina stellata sp. nov. resembles C. pacbo Do, von Rintelen & Dang, 2020 in colouration and pattern and also in the long stylocerite. Moreover, the type locality, Cao Bang Province, Vietnam, is close to Guangxi, China. However, the new species can be distinguished from C. pacbo by the longer rostrum, reaching end of 2nd segment of antennular peduncle, 0.39–0.48 of cl (versus close to end of 1st segment, 0.25–0.36 of cl in C. pacbo), with more ventral teeth (6–13 teeth versus 0–3 in C. pacbo); the stouter carpus of the 1st pereiopod (1.2–1.4 times as long as wide versus 1.3–1.7 in C. pacbo); the stouter chela of the 2nd pereiopod (2.1–2.4 times as long as wide versus 2.7–3.1 in C. pacbo) with carpus as long as the merus (versus longer than merus in C. pacbo); and the slender endopod of the 1st male pleopod (3.7–3.9 × as long as wide versus 2.9–3.3 in C. pacbo).
Caridina stellata sp. nov. also looks similar to C. multidentata Stimpson, 1860 in the colouration and pattern of live individuals. C. stellata can be easily distinguished from C. multidentata by the longer stylocerite, reaching 0.40 of the 2nd segment of the antennular peduncle (versus 0.70 of the 1st segment of antennular peduncle in C. multidentata); with straight rostrum (versus with a crest over orbit in C. multidentata), more teeth on carapace posterior to orbital margin (6–9 teeth versus 0 in C. multidentata); and large eggs (0.84–0.89 × 1.27–1.39 mm versus 0.23–0.28 × 0.38–0.40 mm in C. multidentata).
Caridina stellata appears to be a common atyid species in Guangxi. It was found from four streams in the Jinxiu Yao Autonomous County, Laibin City and also found in Dahua Yao Autonomous County, Hechi City. The environment of the streams is very similar. The streams run through land that is covered by secondary forest, with rocks interspersed with patches of gravel at the bottom (Fig.
Known from Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, southwest China.
We analysed a total of 31 COI sequences and 32 16S rRNA sequences, 59 of which were from GenBank. The lengths of the sequences are 638 bp (COI) and 461 bp (16S) for the molecular phylogeny analyses. Based on the Kimura Model, inter-group mean distance of 16 species were calculated (Table
Pairwise genetic distance amongst 16 species, based on the COI (bottom left) and 16S rRNA (top right) gene.
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | C. stellata sp. nov. | 0.065 | 0.103 | 0.098 | 0.070 | 0.091 | 0.080 | 0.096 | 0.095 | 0.095 | 0.086 | 0.068 | 0.112 | 0.099 | 0.069 | 0.236 | |
2 | C. cavernicola | 1.449 | 0.099 | 0.095 | 0.063 | 0.073 | 0.077 | 0.080 | 0.082 | 0.077 | 0.068 | 0.078 | 0.106 | 0.091 | 0.047 | 0.213 | |
3 | N. palmata | 1.504 | 0.203 | 0.086 | 0.080 | 0.094 | 0.077 | 0.110 | 0.086 | 0.080 | 0.094 | 0.076 | 0.121 | 0.085 | 0.096 | 0.214 | |
4 | C. Venusta | 0.126 | 1.604 | 1.770 | 0.090 | 0.122 | 0.088 | 0.130 | 0.106 | 0.070 | 0.117 | 0.093 | 0.133 | 0.006 | 0.099 | 0.235 | |
5 | C. sp. | 0.163 | 1.578 | 1.648 | 0.145 | 0.068 | 0.065 | 0.100 | 0.065 | 0.082 | 0.063 | 0.075 | 0.112 | 0.091 | 0.026 | 0.223 | |
6 | C. nanaoensis | 0.158 | 1.588 | 1.721 | 0.139 | 0.129 | 0.071 | 0.109 | 0.039 | 0.103 | 0.004 | 0.008 | 0.131 | 0.123 | 0.069 | 0.225 | |
7 | C. cantonensis | 0.144 | 1.521 | 1.552 | 0.134 | 0.118 | 0.130 | 0.086 | 0.072 | 0.075 | 0.071 | 0.034 | 0.107 | 0.086 | 0.073 | 0.216 | |
8 | C. zhujiangensis | 1.703 | 0.244 | 0.263 | 1.754 | 1.850 | 1.690 | 1.672 | 0.109 | 0.098 | 0.104 | 0.101 | 0.078 | 0.128 | 0.099 | 0.198 | |
9 | C. trifasciata | 0.148 | 1.578 | 1.689 | 0.137 | 0.144 | 0.075 | 0.139 | 1.745 | 0.090 | 0.034 | 0.075 | 0.130 | 0.107 | 0.069 | 0.218 | |
10 | C. sinanensis | 1.445 | 0.143 | 0.183 | 1.521 | 1.525 | 1.551 | 1.438 | 0.240 | 1.498 | 0.103 | 0.070 | 0.112 | 0.069 | 0.081 | 0.210 | |
11 | C. serrata | 1.460 | 0.155 | 0.223 | 1.575 | 1.494 | 1.515 | 1.402 | 0.254 | 1.483 | 0.155 | 0.076 | 0.125 | 0.118 | 0.064 | 0.222 | |
12 | C. mariae | 1.462 | 0.174 | 0.244 | 1.593 | 1.575 | 1.547 | 1.409 | 0.270 | 1.497 | 0.185 | 0.167 | 0.129 | 0.092 | 0.074 | 0.229 | |
13 | C. lanceifrons | 1.722 | 0.268 | 0.261 | 1.851 | 1.742 | 1.713 | 1.781 | 0.239 | 1.744 | 0.256 | 0.261 | 0.266 | 0.127 | 0.115 | 0.199 | |
14 | C. huananensis | 1.461 | 0.200 | 0.251 | 1.584 | 1.599 | 1.580 | 1.544 | 0.268 | 1.594 | 0.184 | 0.195 | 0.210 | 0.265 | 0.100 | 0.230 | |
15 | C. breviata | 0.166 | 1.574 | 1.601 | 0.147 | 0.059 | 0.115 | 0.135 | 1.851 | 0.120 | 1.521 | 1.475 | 1.536 | 1.756 | 1.583 | 0.226 | |
16 | A. scabra | 1.823 | 0.299 | 0.305 | 1.785 | 1.869 | 1.936 | 1.970 | 0.280 | 1.959 | 0.278 | 0.276 | 0.292 | 0.266 | 0.298 | 1.826 |
In addition, the ABGD division results of 31 COI sequences (including outgroups) in this experiment shows that a significant barcode gap can be formed (Fig.
Partition | Groups | Prior maximal distance |
---|---|---|
1 | 16 | 0.001000 |
2 | 16 | 0.001668 |
3 | 16 | 0.002783 |
4 | 16 | 0.004642 |
5 | 16 | 0.007743 |
6 | 16 | 0.012915 |
7 | 16 | 0.021544 |
8 | 16 | 0.035938 |
9 | 16 | 0.059948 |
10 | 10 | 0.100000 |
Genetic distance distribution and ABGD partitioning results, based on Kimura (K80) (a histogram of distances b automatic partition results of ABGD c the tree on the left represents the result of the BI/ML analysis and the coloured bars on the right represents the result of model of ABGD test).
Combining all of the above results, the results of the division of phylogenetic trees and the classification of species by ABGD are basically the same; the genetic distance supported the molecular-based description of C. stellata sp. nov. as a new species.
Caridina cavernicola Liang & Zhou, 1993: 232–234, fig. 2 (1–8). [type locality: Lenggu Cave, Du’an Yao Autonomous County, Guangxi]
Caridina cavernicola
Nine males, cl 5.2–7.1 mm, 10 females, cl 5.5–7.8 mm (FU, 2018-11-26-02), Dading Village, Desu Town in the Du’an Chengjiang National Wetland Park (23°56'29"N, 108°0'5"E, alt. 156.17 m), 26 November 2018.3 males, cl 5.0–6.2 mm, five females, cl 5.6–8.1 mm (FU, 2018-11-26-02), near skylight 3, the Du’an Chengjiang National Wetland Park (24°0'11"N, 107°59'13"E, alt. 162.80 m), 26 November 2018. Two males, cl 4.7–5.2 mm, four females, cl 5.2–6.8 mm (FU, 2018-11-26-02), skylight 2, the Du’an Chengjiang National Wetland Park (24°0'24.04"N, 107°59'3.81"E, alt. 150.00 m), 26 November 2018.
Body: slender and sub-cylindrical, males up to 35.3 mm tl, females up to 40.2 mm tl.
Rostrum
(Fig.
Carapace
(Fig.
Antennule
(Fig.
Antenna
(Fig.
Mouthparts as in figure. Mandible (Fig.
First pereiopod
(Fig.
Second pereiopod
(Fig.
Third pereiopod
(Fig.
Fourth pereiopod
(Fig.
First pleopod
(Fig.
Second pleopod
(Fig.
Telson
(Fig.
Eggs 0.80–0.92 × 1.37–1.40 mm in diameter.
Body translucent, rust brown, with small red pigment spots scattered on whole body, with a broad red-brown vertical stripe on each abdominal segment; appendages transparent (Figs
Caridina cavernicola was known from only two females and one juvenile specimen when it was first collected from a limestone cave in Lenggu Cave, Du’an Yao Autonomous County, Hechi City, Guangxi. Only the name of the cave is mentioned without detailed environmental information and body colour of the shrimps (
Chengjiang National Wetland Park is located in Du’an Yao Autonomous County, Hechi City, Guangxi. It is also a part of the Du’an Subterranean River National Geopark, Guangxi. The Park mainly consists of the Chengjiang River and integrated farming wetland, river wetland and urban wetland, covering a total area of 8.64 km2, with a width of 11.7 km and a length of 24.2 km. Chengjiang River originates from two skylights, one is Yantan Pool, located at the foot of Guanyin Mountain in Jiudun Village, Daxing Town, the other is Dongtan Pool, located in Taiyang Village, Daxing Town. Chengjiang River belongs to the Red River system, one of the tributaries of the Pearl River system. The river is 50–80 m wide and 5–10 m deep. Chengjiang River and its associated wetlands are also home to many other rare and endangered endemic species of plants and animals. The seaweed flower, Ottelia acuminate is an endangered aquatic plant that is only found in China (Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi and Hainan) and can be found in Chengjiang River. Peach blossom jellyfish, Craspedacusta sp., appears in skylight 1 at Zhuqing Tun, Dongmiao Village, Dongmiao Township. The teleostean fish, Metzia formosae is listed as vulnerable (VU) in the China Red Data of endangered animals: fishes (
Caridina cavernicola were caught alongside Neocaridina palmata (
Know from Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, southwest China.
This research was done by comparing DNA barcode sequences, phylogenetic trees were constructed, genetic distances were calculated and ABGD software was applied to classify species. Research results had found that significant barcode gaps can be formed and Automatic partition results of ABGD grouped Caridina stellata sp. nov. into a separate group. The results of the division of phylogenetic trees were basically the same as those of ABGD on species. The present results confirmed that the integrated use of DNA barcoding (BI/ML tree, K2P distance and ABGD) are efficient and reliable methods for delineation and genetic identification of Caridina stellata sp. nov. as a new species. At the same time, combined with the research of morphology, this can promote the development of taxonomy.
During the recent sampling along the karst habitats of Du’an County, Guangxi, two species of Caridina have been collected. Caridina cavernicola was originally found from a subterranean stream near Du’an County, but further surveys have found dense populations in the Chengjiang River.
Narrow distributions, high diversity and a high level of endemism are characteristic of the genus Caridina. These isolated and vicariant Caridina species occur in karst locations, generally considered as an important part of the natural heritage. They may be particularly vulnerable to anthropogenic activities and face risk of extinction in the future; therefore, more urgent conservation attention may be warranted. Defining potential threats posed by human activities to all Caridina species would be the first step in effectively managing their conservation. Guangxi karst landforms have good potential for tourism due to the beautiful natural landscape and ideal climate. Caridina stellata sp. nov. is only known from a few hill stream localities. One stream is located in Lotus Hill Scenic Area. The increasing exploitation of tourist resources for human use fails to recognise the needs of the species that live there. Moreover, C. stellata has striking colouration and patterns that have received particular attention amongst aquarists. In recent years, it has been collected, reared and traded in commercial aquarium industries. The wild populations will inevitably be threatened by over-harvesting. Caridina cavernicola is also facing the same issues due to its distribution in relatively disturbed areas, the Chengjiang National Wetland Park. The population is experiencing considerable stresses and disturbances. The Chengjiang River Basin is surrounded by densely-populated towns. Domestic sewage discharge and wastewater from washing clothes, cleaning vegetables and even people taking showers are problems in many parts of the Chengjiang River (Fig.
To deal with the anthropogenic disturbances, regular monitoring of wild population changes should be carried out and campaigns that promote environmental education and raise tourists, awareness of the importance of biodiversity should be encouraged. In addition, developing commercial aquaculture techniques for the captive breeding of ornamental species is urgently needed in order to guarantee a sustainable supply of shrimp for the industry. This can have certain advantages in reducing the risk of extinction if populations can be maintained in captivity in the long term. More thorough sampling efforts, coupled with molecular identification, will be needed in the future to better understand the diversity and distribution of Caridina species in Guangxi. The number of described species will doubtlessly increase dramatically in the near future and more information on their evolution and ecology will be known as more karst habitats are studied. The biodiversity conservation of karst habitats will be greatly strengthened.
This study was supported by the “Guangdong Environmental Protection Special Project” (PM-zx555-202106-195) (PM-zx555-202107-208) and the “Key Laboratory of Tropical and Subtropical Fishery Resource Application and Cultivation of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs” (9020190008) and also the “Demonstration base for joint training of Postgraduates in Guangdong Province in 2021”. Part of this work was funded by the Key projects of the Academic Foundation of Foshan University (Fish fry screening and counting device). Additional support for this project was provided by “Investigation on crustaceans in the priority area of Mangrove Diversity Protection in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region” (kh19051). Funds from the “Foshan University of Science and Technology Graduate Top-notch Innovative Talents Cultivation Program” also supported this project. Additional support for this project was provided by Guangdong College students’ innovation and entrepreneurship (XJ2018247 and XJ2018222). Thanks are also due to subject editor Luis Ernesto Bezerra, two copy editors (Mike Skinner and Zdravka Zorkova) and reviewer Valentin de Mazancourt for providing their valuable suggestions, which greatly improved the manuscript.