More Knot Worms: Four New <em>Polygordius</em> (Annelida) Species from the Pacific and Caribbean
<i>Polygordius</i> is a clade of marine annelids mainly seen in coarse-grained habitats. They are notable for their smooth bodies, lacking in chaetae or obvious segments, and they resemble Nematoda or Nemertea. Though <i>Polygordius</i> taxa are found in all oceans of the wor...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2020-04-01
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| Series: | Diversity |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/12/4/146 |
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| author | Chrissy A. Tustison Patricia A. Ramey-Balci Greg W. Rouse |
| author_facet | Chrissy A. Tustison Patricia A. Ramey-Balci Greg W. Rouse |
| author_sort | Chrissy A. Tustison |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <i>Polygordius</i> is a clade of marine annelids mainly seen in coarse-grained habitats. They are notable for their smooth bodies, lacking in chaetae or obvious segments, and they resemble Nematoda or Nemertea. Though <i>Polygordius</i> taxa are found in all oceans of the world, identifying species based only on morphological characters can be challenging due to their relatively uniform external appearances. Diversity within the clade has likely been markedly underestimated. Where morphological characters are inconspicuous or even unreliable, molecular methods can provide clarity in delimiting species. In this study, morphological methods (examination under light and scanning electron microscopy) were integrated with molecular analyses (sequencing of Cytochrome c oxidase subunit I, 16S rRNA and Histone H3 gene fragments) to establish the systematic placement of <i>Polygordius</i> specimens collected from Australia, Belize, French Polynesia, Indonesia, Japan, and the U.S. west coast. These analyses revealed three new species of <i>Polygordius</i> from the Pacific Ocean (<i>P. erikae</i> n. sp., <i>P. kurthcarolae</i> n. sp., and <i>P. kurthsusanae</i> n. sp.) as well as one new species from the Caribbean Sea (<i>P. jenniferae</i> n. sp.). These new species are formally described, and a previously known Japanese species, <i>P. pacificus</i> Uchida, 1936, is redescribed. This study establishes the first molecular data set for <i>Polygordius</i> species from the Pacific region, as well as the first formal description of a Caribbean species of <i>Polygordius</i>. Phylogenetic relationships within <i>Polygordius</i> are summarized and discussed. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T20:36:54Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8388e4ef385f49a780a799350498ff3c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1424-2818 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T20:36:54Z |
| publishDate | 2020-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Diversity |
| spelling | doaj.art-8388e4ef385f49a780a799350498ff3c2023-11-19T20:56:14ZengMDPI AGDiversity1424-28182020-04-0112414610.3390/d12040146More Knot Worms: Four New <em>Polygordius</em> (Annelida) Species from the Pacific and CaribbeanChrissy A. Tustison0Patricia A. Ramey-Balci1Greg W. Rouse2Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0202, USADepartment Molecular Biology and Genetics, Koç University, Rumelifeneri Yolu, Sarıyer, Istanbul 34450, TurkeyScripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0202, USA<i>Polygordius</i> is a clade of marine annelids mainly seen in coarse-grained habitats. They are notable for their smooth bodies, lacking in chaetae or obvious segments, and they resemble Nematoda or Nemertea. Though <i>Polygordius</i> taxa are found in all oceans of the world, identifying species based only on morphological characters can be challenging due to their relatively uniform external appearances. Diversity within the clade has likely been markedly underestimated. Where morphological characters are inconspicuous or even unreliable, molecular methods can provide clarity in delimiting species. In this study, morphological methods (examination under light and scanning electron microscopy) were integrated with molecular analyses (sequencing of Cytochrome c oxidase subunit I, 16S rRNA and Histone H3 gene fragments) to establish the systematic placement of <i>Polygordius</i> specimens collected from Australia, Belize, French Polynesia, Indonesia, Japan, and the U.S. west coast. These analyses revealed three new species of <i>Polygordius</i> from the Pacific Ocean (<i>P. erikae</i> n. sp., <i>P. kurthcarolae</i> n. sp., and <i>P. kurthsusanae</i> n. sp.) as well as one new species from the Caribbean Sea (<i>P. jenniferae</i> n. sp.). These new species are formally described, and a previously known Japanese species, <i>P. pacificus</i> Uchida, 1936, is redescribed. This study establishes the first molecular data set for <i>Polygordius</i> species from the Pacific region, as well as the first formal description of a Caribbean species of <i>Polygordius</i>. Phylogenetic relationships within <i>Polygordius</i> are summarized and discussed.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/12/4/146integrative taxonomymeiofaunainterstitialdiversitydistributionnew records |
| spellingShingle | Chrissy A. Tustison Patricia A. Ramey-Balci Greg W. Rouse More Knot Worms: Four New <em>Polygordius</em> (Annelida) Species from the Pacific and Caribbean Diversity integrative taxonomy meiofauna interstitial diversity distribution new records |
| title | More Knot Worms: Four New <em>Polygordius</em> (Annelida) Species from the Pacific and Caribbean |
| title_full | More Knot Worms: Four New <em>Polygordius</em> (Annelida) Species from the Pacific and Caribbean |
| title_fullStr | More Knot Worms: Four New <em>Polygordius</em> (Annelida) Species from the Pacific and Caribbean |
| title_full_unstemmed | More Knot Worms: Four New <em>Polygordius</em> (Annelida) Species from the Pacific and Caribbean |
| title_short | More Knot Worms: Four New <em>Polygordius</em> (Annelida) Species from the Pacific and Caribbean |
| title_sort | more knot worms four new em polygordius em annelida species from the pacific and caribbean |
| topic | integrative taxonomy meiofauna interstitial diversity distribution new records |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/12/4/146 |
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