The integration of morphological and molecular markers is essential in the recognition of inter- and intraspecific variability, as well as to distinguish species. Spicular characters of the excavating sponge Cliona mucronata Sollas, 1878 were reported to vary depending on sample origin, suggesting the existence of an unrecognized species complex. We analyse specimens from central Indo-Pacific, Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP) and the south-western Caribbean in a morpho-molecular approach. All specimens were in alpha morphology and had two types of tylostyles, a slimmer-longer and a wider-shorter one. Spicule measurements from 35 specimens resulted in three morphologically distinct clades consistent with the perceived species and the region of provenance. Molecular markers COI mtDNA and 28S rDNA of the Mesoamerican material showed a well-supported separation between these species and confirmed our morphological results. Based on the above evidence we described two new species, Cliona mariae sp. nov. from the ETP and Cliona yorkin sp. nov. from the south-western Caribbean Sea. Both are close to, but different from C. mucronata sensu stricto. We also detected intraspecific variability within C. mariae sp. nov. along the ETP. A circumtropical distribution of C. mucronata is here rejected, and we propose that other species of excavating sponges with a wide distribution in different oceans need to be carefully reviewed as well. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:453CFFBC-9F22-471C-9AC5-42E970133A75 http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:CE75AB79-2569-48AE-AA70-B6B9CA2FE340

中文翻译：

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划定物种之间的界限：挖掘靠近 Cliona mucronata (Demospongiae) 的海绵

形态学和分子标记的整合对于识别种间和种内变异以及区分物种至关重要。据报道，挖掘海绵 Cliona mucronata Sollas, 1878 的针状特征因样品来源而异，这表明存在未被识别的物种复合体。我们以形态分子方法分析了来自印度洋-太平洋中部、东热带太平洋 (ETP) 和西南加勒比海的标本。所有标本都处于 alpha 形态，并有两种类型的 tylostyles，一种更细长和一种更宽更短。来自 35 个标本的针刺测量导致三个形态不同的进化枝与感知的物种和来源区域一致。中美洲材料的分子标记 COI mtDNA 和 28S rDNA 显示这些物种之间的分离得到充分支持，并证实了我们的形态学结果。基于上述证据，我们描述了两个新物种 Cliona mariae sp。十一月 来自 ETP 和 Cliona yorkin sp。十一月 来自加勒比海西南部。两者都接近但不同于 C. mucronata sensu stricto。我们还检测到 C. mariae sp 内的种内变异。十一月 沿着 ETP。C. mucronata 的环热带分布在这里被拒绝，我们建议在不同海洋中广泛分布的其他挖掘海绵物种也需要仔细审查。http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:453CFFBC-9F22-471C-9AC5-42E970133A75 http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:CE75AB79-2569-48AE -AA70-B6B9CA2FE340 基于上述证据，我们描述了两个新物种 Cliona mariae sp。十一月 来自 ETP 和 Cliona yorkin sp。十一月 来自加勒比海西南部。两者都接近但不同于 C. mucronata sensu stricto。我们还检测到 C. mariae sp 内的种内变异。十一月 沿着 ETP。C. mucronata 的环热带分布在这里被拒绝，我们建议在不同海洋中广泛分布的其他挖掘海绵物种也需要仔细审查。http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:453CFFBC-9F22-471C-9AC5-42E970133A75 http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:CE75AB79-2569-48AE -AA70-B6B9CA2FE340 基于上述证据，我们描述了两个新物种 Cliona mariae sp。十一月 来自 ETP 和 Cliona yorkin sp。十一月 来自加勒比海西南部。两者都接近但不同于 C. mucronata sensu stricto。我们还检测到 C. mariae sp 内的种内变异。十一月 沿着 ETP。C. mucronata 的环热带分布在这里被拒绝，我们建议在不同海洋中广泛分布的其他挖掘海绵物种也需要仔细审查。http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:453CFFBC-9F22-471C-9AC5-42E970133A75 http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:CE75AB79-2569-48AE -AA70-B6B9CA2FE340 mucronata 严格意义上的。我们还检测到 C. mariae sp 内的种内变异。十一月 沿着 ETP。C. mucronata 的环热带分布在这里被拒绝，我们建议在不同海洋中广泛分布的其他挖掘海绵物种也需要仔细审查。http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:453CFFBC-9F22-471C-9AC5-42E970133A75 http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:CE75AB79-2569-48AE -AA70-B6B9CA2FE340 mucronata 严格意义上的。我们还检测到 C. mariae sp 内的种内变异。十一月 沿着 ETP。C. mucronata 的环热带分布在这里被拒绝，我们建议在不同海洋中广泛分布的其他挖掘海绵物种也需要仔细审查。http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:453CFFBC-9F22-471C-9AC5-42E970133A75 http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:CE75AB79-2569-48AE -AA70-B6B9CA2FE340