Five new pseudocryptic land planarian species of Cratera (Platyhelminthes: Tricladida) unveiled through integrative taxonomy

Author(s)

Goulart Araujo, Ana Paula ^{[1, 2]} ; Carbayo, Fernando ^{[2, 3]} ; Riutort, Marta ^{[4, 5]} ; Alvarez-Presas, Marta ^{[4, 5]}

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Museu Zool, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] Univ Sao Paulo, Escola Artes Ciencias & Humanidades, Lab Ecol & Evolucao, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[3] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Biociencias, Dept Zool, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[4] Univ Barcelona UB, Fac Biol, Dept Genet Microbiol & Estadist, Barcelona - Spain

^[5] Univ Barcelona UB, Inst Recerca Biodiversitat IRBio, Barcelona - Spain

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: PeerJ; v. 8, SEP 4 2020.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

Background. Cratera is a genus of land planarians endemic to the Brazilian Atlantic forest. The species of this genus are distinguished from each other by a series of external and internal characters, nonetheless they represent a challenging taxonomic issue due to the extreme alikeness of the species analysed in the present work. To resolve these difficulties, we have performed morphological analyses and used three nuclear markers (ribosomal 18S and 28S, Elongation Factor, a new anonymous marker named Tnuc813) and two mitochondrial fragments (Cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene, and a fragment encompasing NADH deshydrogenase subunit 4 gene, trnF and the beginning of the Cytochrome c oxidase I gene) in an integrative taxonomic study. Methods. To unveil cryptic species, we applied a molecular species delimitation approach based on molecular discovery methods, followed by a validation method. The putative species so delimited were then validated on the basis of diagnostic morphological features. Results. We discovered and described four new species, namely Cratera assu, C. tui, C. boja, and C. imbiri. A fifth new species, C. paraitinga was not highly supported by molecular evidence, but was described because its morphological attributes are unique. Our study documents for the genus Cratera the presence of a number of highly similar species, a situation that is present also in other genera of land planarians. The high number of poorly differentiated and presumably recent speciation events might be explained by the recent geological history of the area. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 16/18295-5 - Diversity and areas of endemism of land planarians in the Southern Atlantic forest and their causal factors
• Grantee: Fernando Jesús Carbayo Baz
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 19/12357-7 - Integrative taxonomic studies of Neotropical land planarians (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida), with emphasis on the Brazilian and Chilean diversity, and their areas of endemisms in the Atlantic Forest
• Grantee: Fernando Jesús Carbayo Baz
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants