Integrative phylogenetic analysis of Plakobranchidae (Gastropoda: Sacoglossa) and evolutionary history of molecular, morphological, ecological and reproductive characters

• Grant number: 16/22035-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: March 31, 2017
• End date: March 16, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Zoology - Taxonomy of Recent Groups
• Principal Investigator: Luiz Ricardo Lopes de Simone
• Grantee: Hilton de Castro Galvão Filho
• Supervisor: Patrick Krug
• Host Institution: Museu de Zoologia (MZ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: California State University, Los Angeles, United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 14/06979-1 - Taxonomy and cladistic analysis of Plakobranchidae (Gastropoda: Sacoglossa), BP.DR

Abstract

The comprehension of the order Sacoglossa's evolutionary history is fundamental to understand the adaptive radiation of Heterobranchia, the most morphologically heterogeneous group in Gastropoda. Sacoglossans form a well-supported monophyletic group, but the relationship of its internal clades is still confused. Plakobranchidae is the most diverse family and the main systematic problem of Sacoglossa, since the lack of detailed descriptions provided many synonyms and invalid taxa from genus to species rank. The family Plakobranchidae resulted in a monophyletic group in most of the few published phylogenetic hypotheses of Sacoglossa; however, its genera are commonly recovered as paraphyletic. Usually, molecular or morphological data are analyzed to reconstruct Sacoglossa phylogeny, while an integrative approach has never been applied for such purpose, especially for Plakobranchidae. In view of such needs, it is intended: 1) to perform an integrative analysis of morphological, molecular, reproductive and ecological characters, based on about 50 species of Plakobranchidae; 2) to examine the evolution aspect of ecological association of plakobranchids and their food-algae; 3) to reconstruct the ancestral states of larval development mode and morph key-characters; 4) to describe and redescribe species and genus based on the integrative approach; and 5) to reveal the morphological diversity of Plakobranchidae. The current project is intended to be performed for a period of up to 12 months in the California State University, Los Angeles, CA, USA.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

GALVAO FILHO, HILTON; PAULAY, GUSTAV; KRUG, PATRICK J.. Eggs sunny-side up: A new species of Olea, an unusual oophagous sea slug (Gastropoda: Heterobranchia: Sacoglossa), from the western Atlantic. Zootaxa, v. 4614, n. 3, p. 541-565, JUN 11 2019. (16/22035-9)