Zoological Studies最新文献

{"title":"Taxonomy and Phylogeography of the Freshwater Crab <i>Geothelphusa tawu</i> Species Complex (Crustacea: Decapoda: Potamidae) from Southern Taiwan and Offshore Islets.","authors":"Hsi-Te Shih,&nbsp;Jhih-Wei Hsu,&nbsp;Kai Chang,&nbsp;Min-Wan Chen","doi":"10.6620/ZS.2023.62-37","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.6620/ZS.2023.62-37","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The freshwater crabs <i>Geothelphusa tawu</i> Shy, Ng & Yu, 1994, <i>G. lutao</i> Shy, Ng & Yu, 1994 and <i>G. lanyu</i> Shy, Ng & Yu, 1994 from southern Taiwan and the offshore islets, Lyudao (Green I.) and Lanyu (Orchid I.) are closely related in morphology and genetics, and have been proposed to be the same species. Examination of a series of specimens collected from the distributional ranges of the three species indicated that key characters of the ambulatory legs and the male first gonopod (G1) are too variable to support the identity of three species. Based on the mitochondrial 16S rDNA and cytochrome oxidase subunit I (<i>COI</i>) sequences, the phylogenetic analysis did not recover three clades corresponding to the three species, but only a main clade without further clear grouping. The interspecific distances of nucleotides are also too small to support the species delimitation. We conclude that the three species should be treated as a single species. Additionally, unique haplotypes of <i>COI</i> have been found in Lyudao and Lanyu, which are hypothesized as two founder populations that colonized the islets from the Taiwan main island during glacial maxima.</p>","PeriodicalId":49331,"journal":{"name":"Zoological Studies","volume":"62 ","pages":"e37"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2023-07-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10522629/pdf/zoolstud-62-037.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41171443","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Deuterogyny and the Association of Two Vagrant Eriophyoid Mites (Acariformes, Eriophyoidea) with the Host-plant Generative Organs of Two Broad-leaved Trees in North-West Russia.","authors":"Philipp E Chetverikov,&nbsp;Alexey G Desnitskiy,&nbsp;Pavel B Klimov,&nbsp;Sebahat K Ozman-Sullivan,&nbsp;Anna E Romanovich,&nbsp;Sogdiana I Sukhareva","doi":"10.6620/ZS.2023.62-35","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.6620/ZS.2023.62-35","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Phytoparasitic mites of the superfamily Eriophyoidea Nalepa live and feed on mature leaf surfaces, between leaf bud scales, and (though less commonly) on flowers or fruits. In this study, we focused on the seasonal associations of two eriophyoid species, <i>Shevtchenkella serrata</i> (Nalepa 1892) with the Norway maple tree (<i>Acer platanoides</i> L.), and <i>Brevulacus reticulatus</i> Manson 1984 with the common oak (<i>Quercus robur</i> L.). These species have complex life cycles with two morphologically different, seasonal female forms, the protogyne and deutogyne. In <i>B. reticulatus</i>, both forms retain all the major generic characteristics but in <i>S. serrata</i> only the protogynes conform to the diagnosis of <i>Shevtchenkella</i>, whereas the deutogynes have the typical traits of <i>Anthocoptes</i>. We confirmed the conspecificity of the protogynes and deutogynes of both eriophyoid species by sequencing a barcode fragment of the <i>Cox1</i> gene from which we obtained four pairwise identical sequences: ON920305/ON920306 (<i>S. serrata</i>) and ON920307/ON920308 (<i>B. reticulatus</i>). In addition, taxonomical studies on <i>Shevtchenkella</i> and <i>Brevulacus</i> resulted in new synonymies and combinations: (1) <i>Oxypleurites obtusus</i> Roivainen 1947 is considered a deutogyne of <i>S. serrata</i> and treated as a junior synonym of <i>S. serrata</i>; (2) two rhyncaphytoptine species from North America are transferred from the genus <i>Rhyncaphytoptus</i> to <i>Brevulacus</i>: <i>B. albus</i> (Keifer 1959) comb. nov. and <i>B. atlanticus</i> (Keifer 1959) comb. nov.; and (3) one species, <i>B. salicinus</i> Soika et al. 2017, is excluded from <i>Brevulacus</i> and transferred to <i>Rhyncaphytoptus</i>: <i>Rhyncaphytoptus salicinus</i> (Soika et al. 2017) comb. nov. Apart from distinct morphological deuterogyny in <i>S. serrata</i> and <i>B. reticulatus</i>, we observed the persistent association of <i>S. serrata</i> with the generative organs of the maple tree, <i>A. platanoides</i>, leading to transmission to the next host generation via the seed-containing winged fruits (samaras) and subsequent colonization of seedlings. In <i>B. reticulatus</i>, similar synchronization with host-plant dispersal was not detected; however, in mid-summer, temporary colonization of immature acorns and feeding was observed. Additional studies conducted in various ecosystems and including different ecological groups of plants, especially anemochorous plants, are needed to estimate the frequency of the association of eriophyoids with plant generative organs, seeds and seedlings to better understand what role in mite ecology such associations may play.</p>","PeriodicalId":49331,"journal":{"name":"Zoological Studies","volume":"62 ","pages":"e35"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2023-07-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10522618/pdf/zoolstud-62-035.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41155496","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Taxonomy and Molecular Phylogeny of the Sea Anemone <i>Macrodactyla</i> (Haddon, 1898) (Cnidaria, Actiniaria), with a Description of a New Species from Singapore.","authors":"Nicholas Wei Liang Yap,&nbsp;Michela Lee Mitchell,&nbsp;Zheng Bin Randolph Quek,&nbsp;Ria Tan,&nbsp;Koh Siang Tan,&nbsp;Danwe Huang","doi":"10.6620/ZS.2023.62-29","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.6620/ZS.2023.62-29","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Sea anemones (Cnidaria, Actiniaria) are a successful group of marine invertebrates found in a diverse range of environments globally. In spite of their ubiquity, identities for many sea anemones remain unverified, especially those from the Indo-West Pacific region. Here, we clarify the taxonomy of the poorly known <i>Macrodactyla aspera</i>, a shallow-water species first described from the Torres Straits in northern Australia. We re-describe <i>M. aspera</i> based on new morphological and molecular data gathered from the type specimen, other museum vouchers, and from fresh material collected from Singapore. We tested the monophyly of <i>Macrodactyla</i> using three mitochondrial (12S, 16S and <i>cox3</i>) and one nuclear (28S) marker based on three congeners, recovering this genus to be polyphyletic. As a consequence, we transferred <i>M. doreensis</i> to the genus <i>Heteractis</i>, and describe a new species, <i>Macrodactyla fautinae</i> sp. nov. While both <i>M. aspera</i> and <i>M. fautinae</i> sp. nov. share the same arrangement and number of complete mesenteries, a similar distribution of cnidae, and are not symbiotically associated with any other biota, <i>M. fautinae</i> sp. nov. has perforated, lobe-like verrucae on its column, and lacks nematocyst batteries on its tentacles, unlike <i>M. aspera</i>. These two species also occur in similar habitats in Singapore. Finally, because <i>M. aspera</i> strongly resembles <i>Dofleinia armata</i>, the latter species flagged as a danger to public health due to its ability to inflict painful stings, we tested the relationship between these species and found them not to be closely related. However, tentacles of <i>M. aspera</i>, like <i>D. armata</i>, are densely covered with nematocyst batteries and harbour large nematocysts; we infer that <i>M. aspera</i> may also be capable of delivering stings that endanger public health. This study builds upon a growing number of studies that aim to ascertain identities and systematics of sea anemones historically reported from the Indo-West Pacific. Our findings will facilitate accurate species identification, which is crucial for advancing research, formulating conservation measures, and protecting public health.</p>","PeriodicalId":49331,"journal":{"name":"Zoological Studies","volume":"62 ","pages":"e29"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2023-07-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10527046/pdf/zoolstud-62-029.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41160078","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Understanding the Symbiotic Relationship between the Sea Urchin <i>Loxechinus albus</i> (Molina, 1782) and the Pea Crab <i>Pinnaxodes chilensis</i> (H. Milne Edwards, 1837): a Potential Parasitism.","authors":"Hans N Jaramillo, Luis P Salas-Yanquin, Joseline A Büchner-Miranda, Víctor M Cubillos, Jaime A Montory, Jan A Pechenik, Luis M Pardo, Oscar R Chaparro","doi":"10.6620/ZS.2023.62-18","DOIUrl":"10.6620/ZS.2023.62-18","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The echinoderm <i>Loxechinus albus</i> has a symbiotic relationship with the pinnotherid crustacean <i>Pinnaxodes chilensis</i>. Females of the crustacean develop in the terminal section of the sea urchin's digestive system, remaining there for life. This relationship has been suggested as commensalism. However, a potential negative impact on gonadal development and on the morphology of the sea urchin's digestive system suggest that it is instead parasitic. To study if there is a negative impact of the crustacean symbiont on the host, specimens of <i>L. albus</i> of all sizes were collected from a rocky shore in southern Chile. The gonadal and somatic tissues of sea urchins that were and were not harboring the pinnotherid were weighed and compared. Our results show that the presence of the pinnotherid was related to sea urchin gonads of lower biomass, decreased gonadosomatic index levels, and alterations in the morphology of the terminal portion of the host digestive system. The lower gonadal biomass suggests a negative impact on gamete production as well as a diversion of energy due to changes of the digestive system tissues and the potential consumption of algal food by the resident crustacean. These results suggest that the prolonged relationship between these two species is one of parasitism rather than one of commensalism.</p>","PeriodicalId":49331,"journal":{"name":"Zoological Studies","volume":"62 ","pages":"e18"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2023-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10318001/pdf/zoolstud-62-018.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9794407","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of pH on the Early Development of the Biofouling Ascidian <i>Ciona robusta</i>.","authors":"Bailey S C L Jones, Lauren A Holt, Kit Yu Karen Chan","doi":"10.6620/ZS.2023.62-04","DOIUrl":"10.6620/ZS.2023.62-04","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Ocean acidification (OA) impacts the survival, fertilization, and community structure of marine organisms across the world. However, some populations or species are considered more resilient than others, such as those that are invasive, globally distributed, or biofouling. Here, we tested this assumption by investigating the effect of pH on the larval development of one such tunicate, <i>Ciona robusta</i>, which is currently exposed to a wide range of pH levels. Consistent with our hypothesis, <i>C. robusta</i> larvae developed and metamorphosed at a rate comparable to control (pH 8.0) at modest near-future conditions (pH 7.7) over a 58-hour period. However, development was stunted at the extreme low pH of 6.8 such that no embryo progressed beyond late cleavage after 58 hours. Interestingly, piecewise regression of the proportion of embryos at the most advanced stage at a given time point against pH identified a breakpoint with the highest pH (~pH 7.6) at around hatching. The variation in breakpoint pH throughout ontogeny highlighted that the sensitivity to decreasing pH differs significantly between developmental stages. More broadly, our results show that even a cosmopolitan, biofouling, invasive species could be negatively impacted by decreasing pH.</p>","PeriodicalId":49331,"journal":{"name":"Zoological Studies","volume":"62 ","pages":"e4"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2023-03-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10131068/pdf/zoolstud-62-004.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9392973","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A New Species of Box Jellyfish (Cnidaria: Tripedaliidae: <i>Tripedalia</i>) from Hong Kong, China.","authors":"Yanan Sun,&nbsp;Justin Hon Yin Tsui,&nbsp;Rachel Ting Huen Wong,&nbsp;Ringo Nga Ching Cheung,&nbsp;Murphy Kam Pui Ng,&nbsp;Carmen K M Or,&nbsp;Jian-Wen Qiu","doi":"10.6620/ZS.2023.62-17","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.6620/ZS.2023.62-17","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>We describe a box jellyfish, <i>Tripedalia maipoensis</i> sp. nov., based on samples collected from a shrimp pond in Hong Kong. This new species is morphologically distinct from other species of the family Tripedaliidae by the following combination of characters: (1) three pedalia at each bell corner; (2) each pedalium with one tentacle; and (3) velarium with forked canals. Phylogenetic analyses based on a concatenated dataset of the <i>16S</i>, <i>18S</i> and <i>28S</i> rRNA genes show that <i>T. maipoensis</i> sp. nov. is sister to the morphologically similar species <i>T. cystophora</i>, but the two species exhibit 17.4% divergence in the <i>16S</i> rRNA gene, supporting <i>T. maipoensis</i> sp. nov. as a distinct species. This new species represents the fourth described species of Tripedaliidae, and the first record of the family in Chinese coastal waters.</p>","PeriodicalId":49331,"journal":{"name":"Zoological Studies","volume":"62 ","pages":"e17"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10165347/pdf/zoolstud-62-017.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9823457","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A New <i>Paralepetopsis</i> Limpet from a South China Sea Seep Hints at a Paraphyletic Neolepetopsidae.","authors":"Chong Chen,&nbsp;Zhaoyan Zhong,&nbsp;Jian-Wen Qiu,&nbsp;Jin Sun","doi":"10.6620/ZS.2023.62-26","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.6620/ZS.2023.62-26","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Neolepetopsidae is a little-studied true limpet family only known from deep-sea chemosynthetic ecosystems, containing just over a dozen species in three genera: <i>Neolepetopsis</i>, <i>Paralepetopsis</i>, and <i>Eulepetopsis</i>. Although considered monophyletic by a recent phylogenetic analysis, a lack of <i>Paralepetopsis</i> sequence linked to morphology casts some uncertainty. Here, we discovered a new species of <i>Paralepetopsis</i> from the Haima methane seep in the South China Sea, described as <i>Paralepetopsis polita</i> sp. nov. The new species is distinct from all other described <i>Paralepetopsis</i> by its smooth and semi-transparent shell, combined with a radula exhibiting pluricuspid teeth with two cusps. We tested its relationship with other neolepetopsids using a molecular phylogeny reconstructed from the mitochondrial <i>COI</i> gene, revealing a surprising position nested within Lepetidae, a family with a very different radula morphology. The clade containing lepetids and our new species was recovered sister to other neolepetopsids with sequence data available. This hints at a paraphyletic Neolepetopsidae, and suggests the neolepetopsid-type radula might not be exclusive to one monophyletic group of limpets.</p>","PeriodicalId":49331,"journal":{"name":"Zoological Studies","volume":"62 ","pages":"e26"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10390325/pdf/zoolstud-62-026.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9933269","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"First Satellite Tagging of the Northern Fur Seals (<i>Callorhinus ursinus</i>) on the Tyuleniy Island, the Sea of Okhotsk.","authors":"Peter A Permyakov,&nbsp;Sergey D Ryazanov,&nbsp;Alexey M Trukhin,&nbsp;Vyacheslav B Lobanov,&nbsp;Hyun Woo Kim,&nbsp;Seok-Gwan Choi","doi":"10.6620/ZS.2023.62-03","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.6620/ZS.2023.62-03","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In October 2018, three Northern fur seals (two adult females and one juvenile male) were deployed with satellite tags on the Tyuleniy Island in the Sea of Okhotsk. The operational time of the tags ranged from 33 to 203 days. The adult females started their winter migration in the first half of November; the initial stage of their winter migration occurred in the Japan/East Sea, which they entered through the La Perouse Strait. The juvenile male left the rookery in mid-October, crossed the Sea of Okhotsk in a north-western direction and returned to the south. The male had reached the coastal areas of Hokkaido Island, Japan by the end of November. From the Sea of Okhotsk, the male entered the Pacific Ocean through the Yekaterina Strait and subsequently entered the Japan/East Sea via the Tsugaru Strait. The winter foraging of the male occurred within the north-eastern part of the Japan/East Sea just off the Tsugaru Strait. After 3 months, the male returned to the Pacific and remained off the Sanriku Coast (Honshu Island).</p>","PeriodicalId":49331,"journal":{"name":"Zoological Studies","volume":"62 ","pages":"e3"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10131067/pdf/zoolstud-62-003.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9373846","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"<i>Terelabrus toretore</i> sp. nov. (Perciformes: Labridae), a New Species of Striped Hogfish from Tahiti, with Range Extensions for Two Congeners.","authors":"Bart Shepherd,&nbsp;Hudson T Pinheiro,&nbsp;Tyler A Y Phelps,&nbsp;Gilles Siu,&nbsp;Luiz A Rocha","doi":"10.6620/ZS.2023.62-08","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.6620/ZS.2023.62-08","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A new labrid fish, <i>Terelabrus toretore</i> sp. nov., the fifth species within the genus, is herein described from two specimens collected at a depth of 140 m from a mesophotic coral ecosystem in Tahiti, French Polynesia. <i>Terelabrus toretore</i> sp. nov. is characterized by having 43-44 scaled rows in longitudinal series; 42 pored lateral-line scales; 5+10 gill rakers; 10 scale rows below the lateral line; 8 posterior branches on the main supratemporal sensory canal; a relatively long snout (snout length 9.6-9.7% SL), and a coloration consisting of a yellow caudal fin and a wide, red, mid-lateral stripe with no blotching, the space above which is white anteriorly, becoming predominantly yellow from beneath the dorsal fin to the caudal peduncle. In addition to describing this new species, we document the first record of <i>Terelabrus rubrovittatus</i> from the Republic of Marshall Islands, and the first record of <i>Terelabrus zonalis</i> from Australia, along with the first description of its coloration. We present a molecular phylogeny of the genus based upon mitochondrial cytochrome <i>c</i> oxidase subunit I (<i>COI</i>) DNA sequences.</p>","PeriodicalId":49331,"journal":{"name":"Zoological Studies","volume":"62 ","pages":"e8"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10165348/pdf/zoolstud-62-008.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9453347","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Genetic Structure of the Endemic Fiddler Crab <i>Uca</i> (<i>Xeruca</i>) <i>formosensis</i> on the West Coast of Taiwan.","authors":"Kun-Chin Hung,&nbsp;Ching-Yu Liou,&nbsp;Chih-Chung Wen,&nbsp;Hui-Chen Lin","doi":"10.6620/ZS.2023.62-24","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.6620/ZS.2023.62-24","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Xeruca formosensis</i> is the only endemic species of fiddler crab on the west coast of Taiwan. However, its natural habitats and populations have been compromised by excessive anthropogenic activities and improper land use over the past four decades. In light of these changes, we sought to evaluate the genetic diversity and gene flow of the species by examining the genetic variation of <i>X. formosensis</i> at different sampling locations. To this end, we performed molecular analyses of three endonuclease-amplified fragment length polymorphisms (TE-AFLP) and the cytochrome oxidase subunit I (<i>COI</i>) marker from leg muscle samples. We found that the genetic variation within sampling locations was higher than that among sampling locations, and the expected heterozygosity of genetic diversity (H_j) was 0.152 for TE-AFLP data. Meanwhile, the <i>COI</i> marker showed high haplotype diversity (<i>h</i> = 0.976 ± 0.008) and a low genetic differentiation level (<i>F</i>_ST = 0.021) in <i>X. formosensis</i> populations. Importantly, the genetic connectivity of <i>X. formosensis</i> may be influenced by larval-stage crabs drifting between coastal and marine habitats. As such, crab gene flow is promoted among populations by larval exchange via nearshore currents. Although <i>X. formosensis</i> has high gene flow, the species could undergo an extinction crisis if the population sizes continue to decline, as with most endangered species. In order to maintain the natural habitats and population size of <i>X. formosensis</i>, long-term monitoring and investigation will be necessary.</p>","PeriodicalId":49331,"journal":{"name":"Zoological Studies","volume":"62 ","pages":"e24"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10475467/pdf/zoolstud-62-024.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10541235","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}