Niphargus schellenbergi Karaman, 1932

Niphargus schellenbergi Karaman, 1932 View in CoL

Fig. 2 View Fig

Remarks

Weber et al. (2023) treated this species as N. schellenbergi , which can be considered N. schellenbergi sensu stricto, given that we also included specimens very close to the type locality in our analyses. The species is widespread from Central to Western Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium ( Wallonia), the Netherlands ( Limburg), and Eastern France ( Fig. 2 View Fig ). While in the first description it was assumed that N. schellenbergi mainly inhabits springs ( Karaman 1932), we found it regularly in caves, artificial caverns, meadow drainages, springs, wells, and in the interstitial (Supp. file 4.2). Karaman (1932) set the Gänsbrünnle in the South of Sendelbach ( Bavaria, Germany) as type locality, referring to a well along the southern margin of its inferred distribution range in Central Germany, but he did not define any type material. We collected specimens in a spring very close to Gänsbrünnle (Supp. file 3.1). More southern distribution records, particularly in Central-East to South-Eastern France, most likely belong to the newly described sister species Niphargus lotharingiensis sp. nov.

The drawing in Karaman (1932) shows well the characteristics of N. schellenbergi , i.e., the gnathopod II nearly in square-form with its 3 setae on its dactylus. The two drawings of the telson exhibit significant discrepancies and are of limited value for taxonomic determination. The same is true of the two drawings of uropod I, in which the outer ramus is longer in one instance and the inner ramus is longer in the other. A drawing of the entire specimen is missing.