Molecular taxonomy confirms that the northeastern Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea harbor a single lancelet, Branchiostoma lanceolatum (Pallas, 1774) (Cephalochordata: Leptocardii: Branchiostomatidae).

Autor: Filomena Caccavale, David Osca, Salvatore D'Aniello, Fabio Crocetta
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2021
Předmět:
Zdroj: PLoS ONE, Vol 16, Iss 5, p e0251358 (2021)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 1932-6203
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0251358
Popis: Branchiostomatidae (lancelets or amphioxus) comprises about 30 species, several of which are well-established models in evolutionary development. Our zoological and ecological knowledge of the family is nonetheless limited. Despite evident differences can be found among known populations, the taxonomy of Branchiostoma lanceolatum (type species of the genus Branchiostoma) has never been investigated with modern methods through its range in the northeastern Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea. We address this via a multilocus molecular approach and comparing specimens collected from different European populations. Results obtained here confirm the presence of a single species inhabiting the range between the topotypical localities of B. lanceolatum (Atlantic Ocean) and of its junior synonym B. lubricum (Mediterranean Sea), without evincing geographical structure between populations. This suggests that environment most likely drives the characteristics observed in different geographic areas. The long larval phase and the slow mutation rate in lancelets may have played a key role in the evolutionary history of this iconic species.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals