Endemism and hidden diversity of Habrophlebia, Eaton, 1881 in Algeria’s Northeastern Mountains (Ephemeroptera, Leptophlebiidae)

By

Samraoui, Boudjéma
Vuataz, Laurent
Sartori, Michel

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2025-11-27

Original Publication

Metabarcoding and metagenomics

Volume

9

Pages

113--151

Subjects

Biogeography , COI , freshwater biodiversity , Maghreb , Mayflies , new species , taxonomy

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers 2017-

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/alpento.9.171490

 

Abstract

<br> Northeastern Algeria has recently emerged as a hotspot of freshwater biodiversity and a refugium for both mountainous cold stenothermic and Afrotropical relict species. Intensive surveys of mayflies uncovered striking cryptic diversity within the genus<br> Habrophlebia<br> Eaton, 1881 (Ephemeroptera, Leptophlebiidae). By integrating molecular and morphological evidence, we describe five new species (<br> H. callensis<br> sp. nov.<br> ,<br> H. ghora<br> sp. nov.<br> ,<br> H. seybouse<br> sp. nov.<br> ,<br> H. annaba<br> sp. nov.<br> , and<br> H. edough<br> sp. nov.<br> ). Our findings increase the number of recognised<br> Habrophlebia<br> species in the Maghreb from nine to fourteen, all of which are endemic to the region. The results further suggest that northeastern Algeria constitutes a major diversification centre for<br> Habrophlebia<br> within the Maghreb and, more broadly, across the Mediterranean basin. Furthermore, distributional patterns support an east–west divide within the Maghreb, most likely shaped by distinct Quaternary glacial refugia. Finally, we provide an updated identification key to the nymphs of<br> Habrophlebia<br> species in the western Palaearctic.<br>