Revisiting species delimitation within the genus Oxystele using DNA barcoding approach

The genus Oxystele, a member of the highly diverse marine gastropod superfamily Trochoidea, is endemic to southern Africa. Members of the genus include some of the most abundant molluscs on southern African shores and are important components of littoral biodiversity in rocky intertidal habitats. Sp...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:ZooKeys 2013-12, Vol.365 (365), p.337-354
Main Authors: Van Der Bank, Herman, Herbert, Dai, Greenfield, Richard, Yessoufou, Kowiyou
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amplified fragment length polymorphism
Bar codes
Biodiversity
DNA
DNA barcoding
Ecosystems
Microsatellites
Mitochondria
Morphology
Phylogeny
Shores
Species
Zoology
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Summary:The genus Oxystele, a member of the highly diverse marine gastropod superfamily Trochoidea, is endemic to southern Africa. Members of the genus include some of the most abundant molluscs on southern African shores and are important components of littoral biodiversity in rocky intertidal habitats. Species delimitation within the genus is still controversial, especially regarding the complex O. impervia / O. variegata. Here, we assessed species boundaries within the genus using DNA barcoding and phylogenetic tree reconstruction. We analysed 56 specimens using the mitochondrial gene COI. Our analysis delimits five molecular operational taxonomic units (MOTUs), and distinguishes O. impervia from O. variegata. However, we reveal important discrepancies between MOTUs and morphology-based species identification and discuss alternative hypotheses that can account for this. Finally, we indicate the need for future study that includes additional genes, and the combination of both morphology and genetic techniques (e.g. AFLP or microsatellites) to get deeper insight into species delimitation within the genus.
ISSN:1313-2989
1313-2970
DOI:10.3897/zookeys.365.5356