Abstract

During recent investigations on the terrestrial invertebrates of the tropical rainforest on Martinique Island (Pitons du Carbet), specimens of a new species of the terrestrial amphipod genus Cerrorchestia Lindeman, 1990, C. taboukeli sp. nov., were collected by means of different quantitative and non-quantitative methods (hand collection and Tullgren extraction) in the forest floor. The new species can be easily distinguished from the only other species of the genus, C. hyloraina Lindeman, 1990, by gnathopod 2 (carpus short, palm longer than wide), pereopod 4 dactylus with a denticulate patch, pereopod 5 basis ovate with a deep posterodistal lobe reaching the distal end of the ischium, pleopod 3 ramus with more than six articles. Cerrorchestia tabouleki sp. nov. is the first forest-hopper discovered in the Lesser Antilles, raising the question of island colonization by terrestrial amphipods. Ecological data and a key to terrestrial Talitridae of Central America and the Caribbean islands are provided.

Highlights

  • The Caribbean Region is inhabited by 21 terrestrial or semi-terrestrial species belonging to the Talitridae family (Bousfield 1984; Lindeman 1990; Smith 1998; Smith & Heard 2001; Ortiz & Lalana 2009; Wildish & LeCroy 2014)

  • There is no knowledge on the distribution of amphipods on Martinique Island, so the exploration of Pitons du Carbet carried out in 2017 and 2018 could be considered as the first contribution to the description of the amphipod fauna of the island, notwithstanding the fact that these samplings were focused on soil arthropods of the tropical sub-mountain rainforest

  • The present paper provides the description of a new terrestrial amphipod, attributed to the genus Cerrorchestia Lindeman, 1990 and collected above 1000 m of altitude in Pitons du Carbet Mountain Range

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Summary

Introduction

The Caribbean Region is inhabited by 21 terrestrial or semi-terrestrial species belonging to the Talitridae family (Bousfield 1984; Lindeman 1990; Smith 1998; Smith & Heard 2001; Ortiz & Lalana 2009; Wildish & LeCroy 2014). Almost half of the Caribbean species belong to beach-hopper and field-hopper groups of species (Bousfield 1984; Ciavatti 1989) and 11 species could be considered as forest-hoppers (i.e., terrestrial species), which are known to inhabit the rain and cloud forests of the Greater Antilles islands and Central America (Lindeman 1990, Ortiz & Lalana 2009). There is no knowledge on the distribution of amphipods on Martinique Island, so the exploration of Pitons du Carbet carried out in 2017 and 2018 could be considered as the first contribution to the description of the amphipod fauna of the island, notwithstanding the fact that these samplings were focused on soil arthropods of the tropical sub-mountain rainforest

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