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(Reference retrieved automatically from Web of Science through information on FAPESP grant and its corresponding number as mentioned in the publication by the authors.)

Unravelling the taxonomic identity of Ophiothela Verrill, 1867 (Ophiuroidea) along the Brazilian coast

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Author(s):
Alitto, Renata A. S. [1] ; Granadier, Gabriela [1] ; Christensen, Ana B. [2] ; O'Hara, Timothy [3] ; Di Domenico, Maikon [4] ; Borges, Michela [5]
Total Authors: 6
Affiliation:
[1] Univ Estadual Campinas, Dept Biol Anim, BR-13083863 Campinas - Brazil
[2] Lamar Univ, Dept Biol, Beaumont, TX 10037 - USA
[3] Museum Victoria, GPO Box 666, Melbourne, Vic - Australia
[4] Univ Fed Parana, Ctr Estudos Mar, BR-83255976 Pontal Do Parana - Brazil
[5] Univ Estadual Campinas, Museu Zool, BR-13083863 Campinas - Brazil
Total Affiliations: 5
Document type: Journal article
Source: Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom; v. 100, n. 3, p. 413-426, MAY 2020.
Web of Science Citations: 0
Abstract

Since 2012, when Ophiothela was first described in the Atlantic, there has been no consensus regarding its identification. It has been described as O. mirabilis, O. cf. mirabilis, O. danae, or only Ophiothela sp. In order to fill these gaps, our aim was to test if specimens from Brazil are Ophiothela mirabilis and/or Ophiothela danae. Syntypes from the Museum of Comparative Zoology and United States National Museum, Smithsonian Institution, were used. We examined species boundaries of the small six-rayed brittle star Ophiothela using independent character sets utilizing morphology (external morphology and morphometry) and molecular data (16S and COI). Concordance was found between the analyses indicating that Ophiothela sp. from Brazil (BR), Ophiothela mirabilis and Ophiothela danae are closely related. We suggest that O. danae should be considered as a junior synonym of O. mirabilis. A detailed description of O. mirabilis BR is presented using external morphology and microstructural ossicles (arm plates, vertebra, dental and oral plates). This description includes new diagnostic features, particularly regarding its microstructures: (i) transspondylous articulation (first record in Ophiotrichidae); (ii) eight smooth knobs on the dorsal surface of the vertebrae (to date only in Ophiothela); (iii) vertebrae with distal keel divided into two separate end processes matching the two large dorsal grooves proximally (first time in the literature); and (iv) an opening on both sides of the oral plate (as seen in other fissiparous species Ophiactis savignyi and Ophiocomella ophiactoides). (AU)

FAPESP's process: 11/50317-5 - Biodiversity and functioning of a subtropical coastal ecosystem: a contribution to integrated management
Grantee:Antonia Cecília Zacagnini Amaral
Support Opportunities: BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Thematic Grants
FAPESP's process: 18/10313-0 - Build-up of scientific collections of marine invertebrates: strategies for biodiversity conservation
Grantee:Antonia Cecília Zacagnini Amaral
Support Opportunities: BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Thematic Grants
FAPESP's process: 17/09987-3 - Integrative taxonomy of taxon Ophiothela (Ophiotrichidae, Ophiuroidea): recognition of species occurring in two ecoregions of Brazil
Grantee:Gabriela Granadier
Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation