Description of Spadella valsalinae sp. nov., a neo-endemic benthic chaetognath from Northern Adriatic Sea (Croatia) with remarks on its morphology, phylogeny and biogeography

We describe a new chaetognath species, Spadella valsalinae sp. nov., discovered and collected in the Northern Adriatic Sea (Pula, Croatia). S. valsalinae sp. nov. is a benthic species living at 10–12 m depth attached to the surface of roughly sorted sediment. The cosmopolitan, seagrass-inhabiting sp...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Organisms diversity & evolution 2013-06, Vol.13 (2), p.189-202
Main Authors: Winkelmann, Charlotte, Gasmi, Samah, Gretschel, Gerwin, Müller, Carsten H. G, Perez, Yvan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal Systematics/Taxonomy/Biogeography
Animals
Benthos
Biodiversity
Biogeography
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Ciliata
Cladistics
Developmental Biology
Endemism
Evolutionary Biology
fins
Life Sciences
Morphology
New species
Original Article
Papillae
Phylogeny
Plant Systematics/Taxonomy/Biogeography
ribosomal RNA
rRNA 18S
Scanning electron microscopy
Scuba & skin diving
Sea grasses
Sediments
Seminal vesicle
seminal vesicles
Spadella
Spadella cephaloptera
Spadella ledoyeri
Teeth
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Description
Summary:We describe a new chaetognath species, Spadella valsalinae sp. nov., discovered and collected in the Northern Adriatic Sea (Pula, Croatia). S. valsalinae sp. nov. is a benthic species living at 10–12 m depth attached to the surface of roughly sorted sediment. The cosmopolitan, seagrass-inhabiting species Spadella cephaloptera Busch, 1851 was also recorded in the sampling area. Characters from comparative morphology and molecular phylogeny based on SSU rRNA (18S) sequences support a sister group relationship of S. valsalinae sp. nov. with Spadella lainezi and Spadella ledoyeri. Thus, S. valsalinae sp. nov. represents the first member in the ‘Spadella ledoyeri' complex that is not a troglophilic species. By comparison with the various known European Spadella species, we defined a specific set of morphological characters, such as the number, shape and mutual proportions of the teeth, the lateral fins, the corona ciliata, the seminal vesicles, as well as the presence of ventral adhesive papillae, which is unique for S. valsalinae sp. nov. The biogeography of Spadella members in the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Atlantic as well as their phylogenetic relationships are discussed, with the focus on processes of neo-endemism in an epeiric area like, for instance, the Northern Adriatic Sea.
ISSN:1439-6092
1618-1077
DOI:10.1007/s13127-012-0108-0