Discovered two new species of a rare class of crustaceans

An investigation has allowed the discovery of two new species of Artemia branchiopod crustaceans in Asia.

The study was carried out by an international team that includes specialists from the Torre de la Sal Aquaculture Institute (IATS), attached to the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) in Spain. Scientists from Iran, China, Chile and the United States have also participated.

The two new species of this peculiar organism have been named Artemia amati and Artemia sorgeloosi in honor of two distinguished scientists specializing in this genus of crustaceans: Francisco Amat and Patrick Sorgeloos.

The research has been of a multidisciplinary nature, with genomic, morphological and morphometric analyses, and has covered the phylogeny of different Asian populations of the genus Artemia.

The analyzes have been carried out using eggs from these populations collected in different natural spaces, coming both from specific sampling campaigns and from the sample banks kept at the Torre de la Sal Institute of Aquaculture and at the University of Ghent. (Belgium). The results of the analyses, which were intended to clarify these phylogenetic relationships, clearly demonstrate that there are two divergent evolutionary lines that must be considered as distinct species and that were previously considered within other species, as explained by Francisco Hontoria, a CSIC researcher in the IATS.

Female crustacean of the Artemia genus, specifically of the Artemia franciscana species, cultivated and photographed in the IATS laboratories. (Photo: Mounir Rdait)

Artemia amati, one of the new species described, has received this name in honor of Professor Francisco Amat, who was director of the IATS between 1994 and 2000, as well as coordinator of the research team on auxiliary species in aquaculture, larviculture and ecotoxicology of the IATS until his retirement a few years ago. The scientist dedicated his professional career to the study of Artemia crustaceans in aspects such as the distribution of their different forms, the characterization of their populations, their use as a natural resource in aquaculture, the phylogenetic relationships of the different species or the loss of their biodiversity. As a teacher and professor, he has trained several generations of researchers.

The other species described in this work, Artemia sorgeloosi, has received this name in reference to Patrick Sorgeloos, emeritus professor at the University of Ghent (Belgium). Professor Sorgeloos is, together with Francisco Amat, the world’s best-known specialist in Artemia crustaceans. His long career has spanned countless research fields related to Artemia crustaceans.

The study is entitled “Phylogenetic analysis of problematic Asian species of Artemia Leach, 1819 (Crustacea, Anostraca), with the descriptions of two new species”. And it has been published in the academic journal Journal of Crustacean Biology. (Source: CSIC)