Molecular phylogenetic position of Minamitalitrus zoltani elucidates a further troglobisation pattern in cave-dwelling terrestrial amphipods (Crustacea: Talitridae).

Abstract Talitrids are a highly diverse group of amphipod crustaceans that have colonized various terrestrial habitats. Three genera have successfully adapted to cave habitats on islands in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. However, the evolutionary origin of the Pacific troglobitic talitrids has remained unknown. We estimate the phylogenetic position of the troglobitic Minamitalitrus zoltani, which inhabits limestone caves on Minamidaito Island in the Northwestern Pacific, on the basis of the traditional multi-locus dataset. For the analyzed talitrids, we also reconstruct ancestral states of the maxilliped palp and male gnathopod 2. Our results indicate that Minamitalitrus zoltani is sister to the epigean Nipponorchestia curvatus with a deep divergence. Nipponorchestia curvatus inhabits coastal habitats in Japan, but is not indigenous to Minamidaito Island. A previous study estimated that the Atlantic troglobitic species had invaded subterranean habitats multiple times, but we provide new insight into the troglobisation history in talitrids. We also recover secondary shifts of character states of the maxilliped palp and male gnathopod 2 within the lineage composed of Minamitalitrus and its phylogenetically close genera. Our findings highlight the need for the genus-level reclassification of these genera; we split Nipponorchestia into two genera, establishing a new genus for Nipponorchestia nudiramus.