Phylogenetic analysis of the genus Lottia Gray, 1833 (Mollusca: Patellogastropoda: Lottiidae) and taxonomic review of the species occurring in Brazil

• Grant number: 24/18231-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: April 01, 2025
• End date: December 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Zoology - Taxonomy of Recent Groups
• Principal Investigator: Alvaro Esteves Migotto
• Grantee: Rafael Masson Rosa
• Host Institution: Centro de Biologia Marinha (CEBIMAR). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Sebastião , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The clade Patellogastropoda is one of the major lineages of gastropods, with several species representing important components of coastal ecosystems around the world. The genus Lottia represents a large part of the diversity of Patellogastropoda, but it has a problematic and poorly resolved taxonomy, with several recent studies suggesting that it may be a paraphyletic group. A recurring problem in phylogenetic analyses involving the genus Lottia is the very small sample of species that is almost completely restricted to species native to the Pacific, while the inclusion of species from the Atlantic, especially those occurring in Brazil, might be essential to obtain a robust phylogeny for Patellogastropoda. In Brazil, the genus Lottia is represented by four species: L. subrugosa, widely distributed along the Brazilian coast; L. noronhensis, endemic to the Fernando de Noronha archipelago; L. marcusi, endemic to the Trindade and Martim Vaz archipelago; and L. abrolhosensis, endemic to the Abrolhos archipelago. Taxonomic studies on these species are scarce, especially in the case of the species endemic to islands, and all of them require an updated taxonomic review. In this context, this project proposes to use a combination of morphoanatomical and genetic data to review the taxonomy of the Lottia species in Brazil and perform a phylogenetic analysis with an unprecedented sample of native species from the Atlantic. With this, we hope to delimit the species that occur in Brazil more precisely, contribute to the investigation of phylogenetic relationships in Patellogastropoda and understand the dynamics of the emergence and evolution of island endemic species in the studied archipelagos.