Delimitation of cryptic species drastically reduces the geographical ranges of marine interstitial ghost-worms (Stygocapitella; Annelida, Sedentaria)

The recognition of cryptic species concealed in traditionally established species may reveal new biogeographical patterns and alter the understanding of how biodiversity is geographically distributed. This is particularly relevant for marine ecosystems where the incidence of cryptic species is high and where species distribution data are often challenging to collect and interpret. Here, we studied specimens of the ‘cosmopolitan’ interstitial...