Wood boring bivalves of the family Xylophagaidae inhabit sunken wood on the deep-sea floor where they play a key role in the degradation of this organic matter in the ocean. The patchiness of wood-fall habitats is impeding targeted sampling and little is therefore known on xylophagaid biology. We investigated for the first time the diversity and biogeography of Xylophagaidae in the NE-Atlantic and the Mediterranean over a broad geographic range and in various water depths using experimental wood deployments. We combined morphological and molecular analyses for species discrimination. A phylogenetic reconstruction based on 18S and 28S rRNA and COI genes revealed non-monophyly of the type genus, Xylophaga Turton (1822), and led us to revise the taxonomy and erect the genus Xylonora gen. nov. COI haplotypes of the most abundant species revealed broad Atlanto-Mediterranean genetic connectivity for Xylophaga dorsalis and Xylonora atlantica new comb., while genetic connectivity appears limited for Abditoconus brava across the entrance of the Mediterranean. We provide the first COI barcode data for Xylophagaidae as a solid base for future taxonomic work. Wood deployments in a broad geographic range provided a powerful tool for research on Xylophagaidae allowing for conclusions on ecological requirements of xylophagaid species.

中文翻译：

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木制垫脚石：东北大西洋深海木蛀木蝇科（软体动物：双壳纲）的多样性和生物地理学，以及一个新属的描述

Xylophagaidae 科的蛀木双壳类动物栖息在深海海底的沉木中，在那里它们在海洋中这种有机物的降解中起着关键作用。落木栖息地的斑驳阻碍了有针对性的采样，因此对木食性动物的生物学知之甚少。我们首次使用实验性木材部署调查了大西洋东北部和地中海地区广泛的地理范围和不同水深的木蝇科的多样性和生物地理学。我们结合形态学和分子分析来区分物种。基于 18S 和 28S rRNA 和 COI 基因的系统发育重建揭示了类型属 Xylophaga Turton (1822) 的非单系性，并导致我们修改了分类法并建立了 Xylonora gen。十一月 最丰富物种的 COI 单倍型揭示了 Xylophaga dorsalis 和 Xylonora atlantica new comb的广泛的大西洋-地中海遗传连通性，而地中海入口处的 Abditoconus brava 的遗传连通性似乎有限。我们提供了木蝇科的第一个 COI 条形码数据，作为未来分类工作的坚实基础。在广泛的地理范围内部署木材为研究木蝇科提供了强大的工具，从而可以得出关于木蝇科物种生态需求的结论。