Abstract
The first search for endemic invertebrate fauna in the lesser-known ancient lake Fuxian Hu revealed a depths inhabiting amphipod. Fuxiana yangi g.n., sp.n. is a ca. 2-3 mm long, stout, gammaroidean amphipod inclined to develop lateral protuberances. Taxonomically, the animal is a double enigma. (1) In spite of great polymorphism in its superficial trunk morphology - smooth, with a pair of horns, with pairs of lobes - the strong resemblance in appendage morphology speaks for the conspecificity of four specimens. (2) In spite of the absence of the most striking character -peg-shaped palmar spines - the shape of female gnathopods and some other characters speak for its phylogenetic relation to the north Pacific anisogammarid stock rather than to original (probably) Tethyan gammarid (s.str.) stock that reportedly gave rise to the rich amphipod flock of species and genera in Bajkalskoe Ozero (Lake Baikal). Morphologically, Fuxiana is convergent with many phylogenetically unrelated stocks of ancient lake amphipods. Biologically, it is a K-strategist with a small number of large eggs. It is accompanied by a very scarce fauna in the lake's depths. A small endemic flock of anisogammarid species inhabits the richer shallows.
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