Abstract
Uncertainty surrounding the number and identity of species of genus Limacia O.F. Müller, 1781, in southern African and European coastal waters presents an ongoing conundrum. Limacia clavigera (O.F. Müller, 1776) was previously thought to be the only species of its genus in the eastern Atlantic, with a distribution covering north- to south-eastern Atlantic waters. In the light of more recent molecular and morphological research, several distinct lineages have been uncovered in both Europe and southern Africa. Here, we gathered this information and included additional specimens from the two regions to produce an integrative morphological and molecular framework in which to delineate species. Molecular data of mitochondrial genes cytochrome oxidase subunit I and the large ribosomal subunit (16S rRNA) were amplified to perform molecular phylogenetic- and species-delimitation analyses. Findings led to the discovery and description of one new species from Europe: Limacia inesae sp. nov., three new species from southern Africa: Limacia jellyi sp. nov., Limacia miali sp. nov., and Limacia langavi sp. nov., and the confirmation of the validity of Limacia lucida (Stimpson, 1855) from southern Africa. Species-specific distributional and ecological traits further support species distinctions and historical biogeographical processes behind the inferred evolutionary relationships are further explored.
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Acknowledgements
The authors thank South African National Parks and the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries for the issuing of research permits and the staff of the Iziko South African Museum (SAMC) in additional logistical support. J.A. Toms was supported through a M.Sc. bursary provided by the Foundational Biodiversity Information Programme grant towards the SeaKeys Project (Grant number 86957). T.M. Gosliner and M. Pola thank the U. S. National Science Foundation PEET program (DEB-0329054) for funding awarded to T.M. Gosliner and Á. Valdés. They thank co-workers G. Zsilavecz, F.I. Gelletich for their valued assistance in specimen collection in South Africa and thank Y. Tibiriçá (Zavora), B. Sellick (Aliwal Shoal), P. Bouchet and M. Caballer Gutiérrez (Walters Shoal) for generously making their southern African specimens available. They thank L. Bonomo and L. Carmona for kindly contributing additional molecular data. For specimen images provided for this publication, they thank E. Svensen and J.P. Silva (Norway and Portugal), P. Wirtz (Açores), M.M. Chacón (Spain), G. Zsilavecz and B. Sellick (South Africa). For assistance with naming of eastern African species, they thank B. Tarimo, I. Bryceson and A. Ada. They also thank B. Liltved, G. Jones, P. Southwood and G. Zsilavecz for their enthusiastic field support and collections over the years in South Africa which augmented this work. The authors lastly thank the reviewers and the editors of marine biodiversity for their valued commentary which has improved this manuscript.
Funding
This study was funded through the National Research Foundation of South Africa, Foundational Biodiversity Information small grant programme (Grant number 86957) and the California Academy of Sciences and US National Science Foundation PEET program (DEB-0329054).
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All necessary permits for sampling and observational field studies have been obtained by the authors from the competent authorities and are mentioned in the acknowledgements, if applicable. The study is compliant with CBD and Nagoya protocols.
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The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available on the Barcode of Life Data System (BOLD) and in GenBank database repositories. Other datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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All authors contributed to specimen collections and molecular data obtained. TG and MP conducted specimen dissections and captured SEM spectrographs. JT carried out all molecular analyses. All authors wrote sections in, edited and approved the final manuscript.
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Toms, J.A., Pola, M., von der Heyden, S. et al. Disentangling species of the genus Limacia O.F. Müller, 1781, from southern Africa and Europe using integrative taxonomical methods, with the description of four new species. Mar. Biodivers. 51, 1 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12526-020-01125-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12526-020-01125-0