What question did this study set out to answer?

To describe a new species of the genus Melita based on specimens collected in Marapendi Lagoon, Brazil.

February 13, 2026Open Access

A new species of Melita Leach, 1814 (Amphipoda: Melitidae) from Marapendi Lagoon, Rio de Janeiro, southeastern Brazil

BQBeatriz QueirozUniversidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro ASAndré R. SennaUniversidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro

Key Points

To describe a new species of the genus Melita based on specimens collected in Marapendi Lagoon, Brazil.
Field collection of specimens from Marapendi Lagoon, Rio de Janeiro
Morphological examination of the new species
Comparison with existing species
Development of an identification key for Neotropical species
Melita georginae sp. nov. is identified as a new species
Distinctive morphological features include a 5-articulate accessory flagellum and specific setae arrangements
This is the fifth species of Melita recorded from Brazil

Abstract

Abstract A new species of the genus Melita Leach, 1814 is described with material from the Marapendi Lagoon, Rio de Janeiro City, collected in association with the invasive estuarine bivalve Mytilopsis leucophaeata (Conrad, 1831). Melita georginae sp. nov. is characterized by the following characters: antenna 1, accessory flagellum 5-articulate; gnathopod 1, propodus anterodistal projection round; epimeral plate 3, ventral margin with 10 submarginal stout setae; urosomite 1 without dorsal spines; urosomite 2 with 2 sets of dorsal stout setae; uropod 3, outer ramus 1-articulate; and telson with 3 subapical stout setae. This is the fifth species of Melita recorded from Brazil. An identification key to Neotropical species is provided.

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