Three New Species of the Freshwater Shrimp Genus Caridina from Australia

Three new species of genus Caridina are described from the northernmost part of Australia. Caridina darwin n. sp. resembles Caridina temasek Choy & Ng, 1991 from Singapore but differs in the armature of the rostrum, development of epipods on pereiopods and in lacking an appendix interna on male´s first pleopods. Caridina magnovis n. sp. resembles Caridina serratirostris de Man, 1892 but differs from this species in the armature of the ventral margin of the rostrum, a shorter stylocerite, a stouter carpus of first pereiopod, number and size of spiniform setae on third and fifth pereiopods, the shape of the preanal carina and in egg size. Caridina wilsoni n. sp. resembles Caridina gracilirostris de Man, 1892 but differs in egg size and some length to wide ratio of segments of the pereiopods. Detailed morphological descriptions of all three new species are given. A molecular phylogeny (mt DNA 16S) supports the morphospecies hypotheses and illustrates the phylogenetic relationship with morphologically similar species from outside Australia.