Molecules match morphology: mitochondrial DNA supports Bayer’s Lytreia–Bebryce–Heterogorgia (Alcyonacea : Octocorallia) clade hypothesis
Sergio Vargas A B C G , Michael Eitel B , Odalisca Breedy A D E and Bernd Schierwater B FA Museo de Zoología, Escuela de Biología, Universidad de Costa Rica, PO Box 1962-2100, San José, Costa Rica.
B ITZ, Ecology & Evolution, TiHo, Hannover, Bünteweg 17d, D-30559 Hannover, Germany.
C Present address: Molecular Geo- and Palaeobiology Lab., Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences, Ludwig-Maximilians Universität, Richard-Wagner Str. 10, 80333 Munich, Germany.
D Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Unit 0948, APO AA, 34002, USA.
E Centro de Investigación en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología and Centro de Investigación en Estructuras Microscópicas, Universidad de Costa Rica, San Pedro, Costa Rica.
F American Museum of Natural History, New York, Division of Invertebrate Zoology, 79 St at Central Park West, New York, NY 10024, USA.
G Corresponding author. Emails: s.vargas@lrz.uni-muenchen.de, sergio.vargasr@ecci.ucr.ac.cr
Invertebrate Systematics 24(1) 23-31 https://doi.org/10.1071/IS09033
Submitted: 13 July 2009 Accepted: 18 February 2010 Published: 17 May 2010
Abstract
Several studies attempting to clarify the taxonomy and systematics of Octocorallia have highlighted the important role of molecular characters in corroborating or rejecting previous hypotheses based on morphological variation. One such hypothesis is that of a close phylogenetic relationship between the genera Lytreia, Bebryce and Heterogorgia proposed by Bayer based on morphological studies of the genera. Herein, we tested Bayer’s hypothesis using the mitochondrial marker mshI. We deduced a molecular phylogeny including members of the families Gorgoniidae and ‘Paramuriceidae’ that corroborated the existence of Bayer’s Lytreia–Bebryce–Heterogorgia clade. In addition, we provide a morphological assessment of the three genera as well as diagnoses for each of them. We also discuss, based on the phylogenetic results obtained, the evolution of sclerite morphology within Bayer’s Lytreia–Bebyce–Heterogorgia clade. Finally, we propose a Tethyan origin for the Lytreia–Bebryce–Heterogorgia clade.
Additional keywords: Bebryce, Heterogorgia, Lytreia, molecular phylogenetics, Octocorallia, sclerite evolution.
Acknowledgements
We thank the following people and institutions for their generosity in making available specimens and information used in this study: CAS: G. Williams and B. Van Syoc; CDRS: C. Hickmann; MCZ: A. Baldinger and V. Wallace; USNM: S. Cairns; YPM: E. Lazo-Wasem. We also thank R. Vargas for her unconditional support during the development of this study. K. Zimmer helped during laboratory work. We like to specially thank S. Simon and S. Sagasser for their constant support and help, S. Becker gently helped SV with idiomatic issues, and generally all ITZ members who helped during the cold German laboratory days; to all of them: ‘We’ll meet again, don’t no where, don’t no when...’. We are especially grateful to C.A. Guevara, H.M. Guzman and J. Cortés for their cooperation and support in collecting samples, and P. Denyer for producing the SEM plate. We thank the staff of the computer cluster facility of the Instituto Tecnológico Costarricense, C. Vargas and J. Castro for allowing us to use the cluster for some analyses included in this study. Some bioinformatic analyses were carried out on the freely available Bioportal (www.bioportal.uio.no). This work was partially sponsored by DAAD through its Stipendien für Wissenschaftler for SV. The Foundation Herbette provided additional support for SEM facilities to the University of Lausanne.
Bayer F. M.
(1961) The shallow-water Octocorallia of the West Indian region. A manual for marine biologists. Studies of the Fauna of Curacao and other Caribbean Islands 12, 1–373.
synonymisation of these two species of Heterogorgia. In this study we follow Breedy and Guzman (2005) and regard H. tortuosa as two separate species. The formal revalidation of H. tortuosa will be done in future revisionary work of the genus Heterogorgia.
