{"title":"Variability in the white spot: a new genus and species of Discodorididae (Nudibranchia) from the central and western Pacific Ocean","authors":"Samantha A Donohoo, Terrence M Gosliner","doi":"10.1093/mollus/eyad027","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"In this paper, a new genus in the nudibranch family Discodorididae, Avaldesia n. gen., is established for Avaldesia albomacula (Chan & Gosliner, 2007) and Avaldesia tahala (Chan & Gosliner, 2007), originally assigned to the genus Thordisa Bergh, 1877, and a new species, Avaldesia tamatoa n. sp., described here from the central Pacific. To establish species relationships within Avaldesia, as well as the placement of Avaldesia within Discodorididae, we utilized four molecular markers (cytochrome c oxidase subunit I, 16S rRNA, histone H3 and 28S rRNA) in our Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood analyses. Four species delimitation methods were complemented by morphological dissections and scanning electron microscopy. Our results reveal a clear separation between Avaldesia and Thordisa and suggest that Avaldesia is more closely related to the genera Hoplodoris Bergh, 1880 and Asteronotus Ehrenberg, 1831. The most characteristic features of Avaldesia include a radula with increasing denticulation towards the fimbriate outermost laterals and a reproductive system with a lobate vestibular gland, occasional hollow vestibular spine and a penis armed with one or more penial spines. All species of Avaldesia are found in shallow water (5–10 m depth) on rocky reefs, sandy sediments and algal fields with distributions across the Indo-Pacific.","PeriodicalId":50126,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Molluscan Studies","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9000,"publicationDate":"2024-02-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Molluscan Studies","FirstCategoryId":"99","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1093/mollus/eyad027","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"MARINE & FRESHWATER BIOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
In this paper, a new genus in the nudibranch family Discodorididae, Avaldesia n. gen., is established for Avaldesia albomacula (Chan & Gosliner, 2007) and Avaldesia tahala (Chan & Gosliner, 2007), originally assigned to the genus Thordisa Bergh, 1877, and a new species, Avaldesia tamatoa n. sp., described here from the central Pacific. To establish species relationships within Avaldesia, as well as the placement of Avaldesia within Discodorididae, we utilized four molecular markers (cytochrome c oxidase subunit I, 16S rRNA, histone H3 and 28S rRNA) in our Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood analyses. Four species delimitation methods were complemented by morphological dissections and scanning electron microscopy. Our results reveal a clear separation between Avaldesia and Thordisa and suggest that Avaldesia is more closely related to the genera Hoplodoris Bergh, 1880 and Asteronotus Ehrenberg, 1831. The most characteristic features of Avaldesia include a radula with increasing denticulation towards the fimbriate outermost laterals and a reproductive system with a lobate vestibular gland, occasional hollow vestibular spine and a penis armed with one or more penial spines. All species of Avaldesia are found in shallow water (5–10 m depth) on rocky reefs, sandy sediments and algal fields with distributions across the Indo-Pacific.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Molluscan Studies accepts papers on all aspects of the study of molluscs. These include systematics, molecular genetics, palaeontology, ecology, evolution, and physiology. Where the topic is in a specialized field (e.g. parasitology, neurobiology, biochemistry, molecular biology), submissions will still be accepted as long as the mollusc is the principal focus of the study, and not incidental or simply a convenient experimental animal. Papers with a focus on fisheries biology, aquaculture, and control of molluscan pests will be accepted only if they include significant advances in molluscan biology. While systematic papers are encouraged, descriptions of single new taxa will only be considered if they include some ‘added value’, for example in the form of new information on anatomy or distribution, or if they are presented in the context of a systematic revision or phylogenetic analysis of the group.