The legacy of Augusto Vigna Taglianti in amphipod taxonomy and biogeography

the contribution to groundwater amphipod taxonomy and biogeography given by Augusto Vigna taglianti is illustrated. Starting from his master thesis presented in Rome on the genus Niphargus under the supervision of prof. Sandro Ruffo, his passion for groundwater amphipods led him to publish several papers, describing 3 genera and 19 species new to Science. his hypothesis on the ancient origin of transadriatic distribution of niphargid amphipods were recently confirmed by sophisticated molecular methods and statistical historical biogeography. the paper is a tribute to Vigna taglianti’s memory and emphasizes his deep knowledge of our fauna, demonstrating the importance of his contribution to the development of current research activities on groundwater amphipod diversity.