Fourteen new species and A. coreana Morimoto, 1970 of Allobathynella Morimoto and Miura, 1957 are (re-)described and illustrated from the Korean Penninsula. Comparison of the external morphology of these species and two previously known species, A. japonica Morimoto and Miura, 1957 and A. shinjongieei Park and Cho, 2008 enables us to amend the generic diagnosis. A 7-segmented antennule turns out to be inconsistent character due to A. wonjuensis sp. nov., which has a 6-segmented antennule. On the other hand, the exopodal distal segment of thoracopods I-VII with a tiny terminal knob and with outer seta covered by long and strong barbs is proved to be a autapomorphic character of the genus. The 14 new species belong to the mirabilis-group and display more or less similar morphology. However, they differ from A. coreana, A. japonica and A. shinjongieei and from each other not only in quantitative but also in qualitative characters. These differences are summarized in tables. The species inhabit hyporheic zones of rivers and each appears to be highly endemic to a given tributary, having a range limit less than 100 km.
Asmyhr, M.G., G. Hose, P. Graham and A.J. Stow. 2014. Fine-scale genetics of subterranean syncarids. Freshwater Biology 59:1-11.
Birstein, J.A. and S.I. Ljovuschkin. 1964. Occurrence of Bathynellacea (Crustacea, Syncarida) in Central Asia. Zoologicheskii Zhurnal 43:17-27.
Camacho, A.I. 2005. Disentangling an Asian puzzle: two new bathynellid (Crustacea, Syncarida, Parabathynellidae)genera from Vietnam. Journal of Natural History 39:2861-2886.
Cho, J.L. and W.F. Humphreys. 2010. Ten new species of the genus Brevisomabathynella Cho, Park and Ranga Reddy, 2006 (Malacostraca, Bathynellacea, Parabathynellidae)from Western Australia. Journal of Natural History 44:993-1079.
Cho, J.L., I.S. Hwang and E.J. Nam. 2008. Nipponbathynella also in South-Korea (Bathynellacea: Syncarida). Journal of Crustacean Biology 28:721-726.
Cho, J.L., J.G. Park and Y. Ranga Reddy. 2006. Brevisomabathynella gen. nov. with two new species from Western Australia (Bathynellacea, Syncarida): the first definitive evidence of predation in Parabathynellidae. Zootaxa. 1247:25-42.
Cho, J.L., H.K. Schminke. 2006. A phylogenetic review of the genus Hexabathynella Schminke, 1972 (Crustacea, Malacostraca, Bathynellacea): with a description of four new species. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 147:71-96.
Eberhard, S.M., S.A. Halse, M.A. Williams, M.D. Scanlon, J. Cocking and H.J. Barron. 2009. Exploring the relationship between sampling efficiency and short-range endemism for groundwater fauna in the Pilbara region Western Australia. Freshwater Biology 54:885-901.
Harvey, M.S. 2002. Short-range endemism amongst the Australian fauna: some examples from non-marine environments. Invertebrate Systematics 16(4):555-570.
Humphreys, W.F. 2008. Rising from down under: developments in subterranean biodiversity in Australia from a groundwater fauna perspective. Invertebrate Systematics 22:85-101.
Morimoto, Y. 1970. Results of the speleological survey in South Korea 1966. XXI Bathynellid crustaceans (Syncarida)from South Korea. Bulletine of Natural Science Museum, Tokyo 13:149-184.
Morimoto, Y. and Y. Miura. 1957. Allobathynella japonica gen., et sp. nov., a new bathynellid from Japan. Proceedings of the Japan Academy 33:145-148.
Park, J.G. and J.L. Cho. 2008. A preliminary inquiry into an Asian topsy-turvy Dom, Allobathynella with the description of a new species from South Korea and redescription of A. japonica (Crustacea, Syncarida, Parabathynellidae). Journal of Natural History 42:223-238.
Park, J.G. and J.L. Cho. 2013. New genus and two new species of Parabathynellidae (Malacostraca: Syncarida) from South Korea. Journal of Crustacean Biology 33:866-881.
Park, J.G. and J.L. Cho. 2015. Two new species of Arisubathynella Park and Eun, 2012 (Malacostraca: Syncarida:Parabathynellidae) from South Korea. Journal of Crustacean Biology 35(2):241-254.
Park, J.G. and Y. Eun. 2012. A new species and a new genus of Parabathynellidae (Crustacea, Syncarida) from South Korea. Zootaxa 3368:291-299.
Schminke, H.K. 1973. Evolution, System und Verbreitungsgeschichte der Familie Parabathynellidae (Bathynellacea, Malacostraca). Mikrofauna Meeresbodens 24:1-192.
Schminke, H.K. 2011. Parabathynellidae: Arthropoda: Crustacea:Malacostraca: bathynellacea. In: J.C. Kim (ed.), Invertebrate Fauna of the world. Vol. 21. Number 1. Flora and Fauna of Korea. Incheon: National Institute of Biological Resources, Ministry of Environment. p. 244.
Trontelj, P., C.J. Douady, C. Fiser, J. Gibert, S. Goricki, T. Lefebure, B. Sket and V. Zaksek. 2009. A molecular test for cryptic diversity in ground water: how large are the ranges of macro-stygobionts? Freshwater Biology 54:727-744.
Yen, A.L. 2002. Short-range endemism and Australian Psylloidea (Insecta: Hemiptrea) in the genera Glycaspis and Acizzia (Psyllidae). Invertebrate Systematics 16:631-636.