Phylogenetic relationships of species of Raymunida (Decapoda: Galatheidae) based on morphology and mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase sequences, with the recognition of four new species

19 pages.-- RECEIVED: 10 April 2000, ACCEPTED: 8 November 2000.The species of the genus Raymunida from the Pacific and Indian oceans are revised using morphological characters and the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I sequences. Four new species are described (R. confundens, R. dextralis, R. erythrina, and R. insulata), and the status of R. bellior and R. elegantissima are revised. The species of Raymunida can be identified by subtle morphological characters, which match differences in mitochondrial nucleotide sequences. Therefore, the sequence divergences confirm the specific and phylogenetic value of some morphological characters (e.g., length of the mesial spine on the basal antennal segment, length of the walking legs). Furthermore, they confirm the importance of the color pattern as a diagnostic character. The widespread species (R. elegantissima), known from the Philippines to Fiji, shows minimal divergence between specimens from different localities (maximum of 3 nucleotide differences or 0.2% mean divergence). The phylogenetic reconstruction agreed with the monophyletic condition of Raymunida and its differentiation with respect to the genus Munida (in which Raymunida species had previously been included) and Agononida.Peer reviewe

Effects of habitat transition on the evolutionary patterns of the microgastropod genus Pseudamnicola (Mollusca, Hydrobiidae)

Submitted: 8 October 2014, Accepted: 8 January 2015Molecular phylogenies of extant species are considered effective tools to infer mechanisms of speciation. Here, we benefit from this utility to investigate the evolutionary history of an organismal group linked to different aquatic ecosystems, the microgastropod genus Pseudamnicola (family Hydrobiidae). Previous studies have found around 45 species of the nominal subgenus P. (Pseudamnicola), most of them in coastal stream localities of several Mediterranean islands and mainland territories, whereas only 12 species of the other subgenus, P. (Corrosella), have been collected from springs and headwaters of mountainous regions of the Iberian Peninsula and south of France. As springs often act as isolated habitats affecting dispersion and constraining gene flow, we supposed that the temporal history and mode of diversification of species from both subgenera should differ and therefore be reflected in their phylogenetic patterns. To assess this hypothesis, we performed a molecular phylogeny based on mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences and later conducted an independent analysis to examine the potential effect of certain geographic and ecological variables in the genetic divergences of the subgenera. Additionally, we estimated the ancestral area of diversification of both groups. Published anatomical revisions and our molecular analyses suggest that the genus Pseudamnicola should be divided into three genera: the two previous subgenera plus a new one described here. As postulated, the evolution of the spring organisms was strongly related to habitat fragmentation and isolation, whereas dispersal followed by divergence seem to have been the most common speciation processes for euryhaline species inhabiting coastal streams and low river stages in which waters remain connected. On the contrary, rather than habitat fragmentation or dispersion, environmental conditions have played a larger role during the deep divergent split leading to the three genera.This work was funded by the grants of the MICINN project Fauna Ibérica X (CGL2010-22267-C07-01) and the JAE Predoctoral fellowship (JAEPre047) to D.D.Peer reviewe

New sibling species and new occurrences of squat lobsters (Crustacea, Decapoda) from the western Indian Ocean

Este artículo contiene 61 páginas, 3 tablas, 14 figuras.Numerous specimens of squat lobsters belonging to the families Munididae, Munidopsidae and Eumunididae were collected during several cruises along the eastern coasts of Africa. The study of these specimens revealed the presence of 10 new species (one Eumunida Smith, 1883, eight Munida Leach, 1820 and one Munidopsis Whiteaves, 1874). We describe and illustrate these new species, providing some new data on occurrences and colour patterns for previously described taxa. We have also included molecular data from two mitochondrial markers (16S rRNA and COI) to support the taxonomic status of different species. Some deep-sea species show a clear increase in their geographic range distribution. Finally, a key to known species of the genus Munida from the western and central Indian Ocean is also presented.The MAINBAZA cruise, a joint project of MNHN (P. Bouchet principal investigator) and Instituto Español de Oceanografía (A. Ramos principal investigator), and the ATIMO VATAE and MIRIKY cruises formed part of a cluster of Mozambique- Madagascar expeditions (La Planète Revisitée/Our Planet Reviewed) funded by the Total, Prince Albert II of Monaco, and Stavros Niarchos foundations, and conducted by MNHN and Pro-Natura International. The figures of the carapaces were illustrated by J. Macpherson. Molecular data were obtained thanks to the partial support of a Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness project (ref. CTM 2014- 57949-R). EM is part of the research group 2014SGR-120 of the Generalitat de Catalunya.Peer reviewe

Hidden Mediterranean biodiversity: molecular evidence for a cryptic species complex within the reef building vermetid gastropod Dendropoma petraeum (Mollusca: Caenogastropoda)

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Comparative phylogeography of two symbiotic dorvilleid polychaetes (Iphitime cuenoti and Ophryotrocha mediterranea) with contrasting host and bathymetric patterns

22 páginas, 9 tablas, 6 figuras.Two symbiotic polychaetes living in brachyuran crabs in the western Mediterranean and the nearby eastern Atlantic, Iphitime cuenoti and Ophryotrocha mediterranea, were analysed to determine their phylogeographical patterns and the possible effects of known oceanographic barriers in the study area. The analysed species live in hosts inhabiting well-differentiated depths, a factor that may be crucial for understanding the different patterns observed in each species. Iphitime cuenoti was found in four different host crabs between 100 and 600 m depth and showed some level of genetic homogeneity, reflected in a star-like haplotype network. Furthermore, barrier effects were not observed. By contrast, O. mediterranea was exclusively found in a single host crab species living between 600 and 1200 m depth. Phylogeographical analyses showed two lineages that pre-date the existence of current barriers. The geological history of the study area, including the most recent glaciation events, probably led to a secondary contact between the lineages, thus forming a single metapopulation. The phylogeographical pattern found in each species may be explained by differences in dispersal ability, habitat, and host crab specificity that have led them to be differentially affected by historical events. This study is the first to use a phylogeographical approach on symbiotic polychaetes.This paper has been supported by the projects CTM2010-22218, CGL2011- 23306, and CTM2013-43287-P, funded by the Spanish State Research Plan, and the Consolidated Research Group on Marine Benthic Ecology of the Generalitat de Catalunya (2014SGR120).Peer reviewe

Female-dependent transmission of paternal mtDNA is a shared feature of bivalve species with doubly uniparental inheritance (DUI) of mitochondrial DNA

Several species from a number of bivalve molluscan families are known to have a paternally transmitted mitochondrial genome, along with the standard maternally transmitted one. The main characteristic of the phenomenon, known as doubly uniparental inheritance (DUI), is the coupling of sex and mtDNA inheritance: males receive both genomes but transmit only the paternal to their progeny; females either do not have the paternal genome or, if they do, they do not transmit it to their progeny. In the families Mytilidae and Veneridae, both of which have DUI, a female individual is either female-biased (it produces only, or nearly so, female progeny), male-biased (it produces mainly male progeny) or non-biased (it produces both genders in intermediate frequencies). Here we present evidence for a same pattern in the freshwater mussel, Unio delphinus (Unionidae). These results suggest that the maternal control of whether a fertilized egg will develop into a male or a female individual (and the associated feature of whether it will inherited or not inherit the paternal mtDNA) is a general characteristic of species with DUI.Peer reviewe

Global-scale genetic structure of a cosmopolitan cold-water coral species

© The Author(s), 2020. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Addamo, A. M., Miller, K. J., Haussermann, V., Taviani, M., & Machordom, A. Global-scale genetic structure of a cosmopolitan cold-water coral species. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, (2020): 1-14, doi:10.1002/aqc.3421.1. When considering widely distributed marine organisms with low dispersal capabilities, there is often an implication that the distribution of cosmopolitan species is an artefact of taxonomy, constrained by the absence of characters for delimiting either sibling or cryptic species. Few studies have assessed the relationship among populations across the global range of the species' distribution, and the presence of oceanographic barriers that might influence gene flow among populations are underestimated. 2. In this study, evolutionary and ecological drivers of connectivity patterns have been inferred among populations of the cold‐water coral Desmophyllum dianthus, a common and widespread solitary scleractinian species, whose reproduction strategy and larval dispersal are still poorly unknown. 3. The genetic structure of D. dianthus was explored using 30 microsatellites in 347 specimens from 13 localities distributed in the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. 4. Results clearly reveal genetically differentiated populations in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres (FST = 0.16, FSC = 0.01, FCT = 0.15, P‐values highly significant), and Chilean and New Zealand populations with independent genetic profiles. 5. Marine connectivity patterns at different spatial scales are discussed to characterize larval dispersal and gene flow through the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.This research was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (CGL2011‐23306), and EU CoCoNET—“Towards COast to COast NETworks of marine protected areas (from the shore to the high and deep sea), coupled with sea‐based wind energy potential”—from FP7‐KKBE of the European Commission (project ID: 287844). This scientific contribution commits to EESF Cocarde, Italian Flag Ritmare, and Region Apulia Biomap programmes. This is scientific publication no. 1888 Ismar‐CNR Bologna. Funding to VH was partially provided through Fondecyt project nos. 1131039 and 1161699. This is publication no. 179 of Huinay Scientific Field Station

Aspergillus sydowii and other potential fungal pathogens in Gorgonian Octocorals of the Ecuadorian Pacific

Emerging fungal diseases are threatening ecosystems and have increased in recent decades. In corals, the prevalence and consequences of these infections have also increased in frequency and severity. Coral reefs are affected by an emerging fungal disease named aspergillosis, caused by Aspergillus sydowii. This disease and its pathogen have been reported along the Caribbean and Pacific coasts of Colombia. Despite this, an important number of coral reefs worldwide have not been investigated for the presence of this pathogen. In this work, we carried out the surveillance of the main coral reef of the Ecuadorian Pacific with a focus on the two most abundant and cosmopolitan species of this ecosystem, Leptogorgia sp. and Leptogorgia obscura. We collected 59 isolates and obtained the corresponding sequences of the Internal Transcribed Spacers (ITS) of the ribosomal DNA. These were phylogenetically analyzed using MrBayes, which indicated the presence of two isolates of the coral reef pathogen A. sydowii, as well as 16 additional species that are potentially pathogenic to corals. Although the analyzed gorgonian specimens appeared healthy, the presence of these pathogens, especially of A. sydowii, alert us to the potential risk to the health and future survival of the Pacific Ecuadorian coral ecosystem under the current scenario of increasing threats and stressors to coral reefs, such as habitat alterations by humans and global climate change.This research was only partially supported by a grant from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (CTM2014-57949-R).Peer Reviewe

DNA barcoding and morphology revealed the existence of seven new species of squat lobsters in the family Munididae (Decapoda, Galatheoidea) in the southwestern Pacific

Specimens of squat lobsters belonging to the family Munididae Ahyong et al., 2010, representing the genera Garymunida Macpherson & Baba, 2022, Trapezionida Macpherson & Baba, 2022 and Typhlonida Macpherson & Baba, 2022, were collected during several cruises around New Caledonia and Papua New Guinea, Southwest Pacific. The integrative study of these specimens revealed the presence of one new species in Garymunida, five in Trapezionida and one in Typhlonida. We describe and illustrate these new species, providing some new data on the taxonomy of several rare or scarcely studied species of Trapezionida. Molecular data from different markers (mitochondrial and nuclear) was also included, based on data availability, to support the taxonomic status of different species. Finally, a key to species for each genus is also provided