Abstract

Aim Despite the generality of the latitudinal gradient of species diversity (LDG) phenomenon, there is growing evidence showing deviations from an idealized pattern, that is, a single peak of species richness symmetrically centred in the Equator, but the underlying causes remain little studied. We here evaluate the existence of departures from the idealized LDG in a group of marine crustaceans and the explanatory role of environmental variables.