Eusiridae (Crustacea, Amphipoda) of the Clarion-Clipperton Zone in the abyssal east Pacific with descriptions of five new species

Anne-Nina Lörz; Laura Engel; Halina Jereczek; Nikodem Ćwierz; Anna M Jażdżewska

doi:10.3897/zookeys.1274.140610

Eusiridae (Crustacea, Amphipoda) of the Clarion-Clipperton Zone in the abyssal east Pacific with descriptions of five new species

Zookeys. 2026 Mar 24:1274:35-77. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.1274.140610. eCollection 2026.

Authors

Anne-Nina Lörz^{1

2}, Laura Engel², Halina Jereczek², Nikodem Ćwierz³, Anna M Jażdżewska³

Affiliations

¹ Marine Research at Senckenberg am Meer, Südstrand 40, 26832 Wilhelmshaven, Germany Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability (CEN), Institute of Marine Ecosystem and Fishery Science (IMF), University of Hamburg Hamburg Germany https://ror.org/00g30e956.
² Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability (CEN), Institute of Marine Ecosystem and Fishery Science (IMF), University of Hamburg, Große Elbstraße 133, 22767 Hamburg, Germany Marine Research at Senckenberg am Meer Wilhelmshaven Germany https://ror.org/03sd3yf61.
³ Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Hydrobiology, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Lodz, Banacha 12/16, 90-237 Lodz, Poland Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Hydrobiology, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Lodz Lodz Poland https://ror.org/05cq64r17.

Abstract

Eusiridae is the most abundant and species rich family of Amphipoda collected in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ), in the abyssal Eastern Pacific. Here five species new to science are described: Cleonardo daniela sp. nov., Cleonardo compassionate sp. nov., Dorotea elizae sp. nov., Rhachotropis clarionclippertoni sp. nov., and Rhachotropis laure sp. nov. In addition to detailed illustrations, molecular barcodes and confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) images are provided of the new species described. All amphipod taxa from the Clarion-Clipperton Zone were collected at abyssal depths, greater than 4000 metres.

Keywords: Cleonardo; Dorotea; Rhachotropis; deep sea; integrative taxonomy.

Anne-Nina Lörz, Laura Engel, Halina Jereczek, Nikodem Ćwierz, Anna M. Jażdżewska.