Morphological and molecular systematic review of Marphysa Quatrefages, 1865 (Annelida: Eunicidae) species from South Africa

PeerJ

article

Jyothi Kara¹  Isabel C. Molina-Acevedo³  Joana Zanol⁵  Carol Simon¹  Izwandy Idris³ 

[1] Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1;Research and Exhibitions Department;South China Sea Repository and Reference Centre, Institute of Oceanography and Environment, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu;Estructura y Función del Bentos;Departamento de Invertebrados, Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro

关键词: COI sequences;    Wide distribution;    Morphology;    New species;    Diversity;   

DOI  :  10.7717/peerj.10076

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Inra

【 摘 要 】

A vast polychaete fauna is hidden behind complexes of cryptic and pseudo-cryptic species, which has greatly hindered our understanding of species diversity in several regions worldwide. Among the eunicids, Marphysa sanguinea Montagu, 1813 is a typical example, recorded in three oceans and with various species considered its junior synonyms. In South Africa, specimens previously misidentified as M. sanguinea are now known as Marphysa elityeni Lewis & Karageorgopoulos, 2008. Of the six Marphysa Quatrefages, 1865a species recorded from the same region, three have their distributions restricted to South Africa while the others are considered to have worldwide distributions. Here, we evaluated the taxonomic status of the indigenous M. elityeni and investigated the presence of the widespread species Marphysa macintoshi Crossland, 1903 and Marphysa depressa Schmarda, 1861 in South Africa using morphological and molecular data. Our results reveal that M. elityeni is a junior synonym of Marphysa haemasoma, a species previously described from South Africa which is herein reinstated as a valid species. Both M. macintoshi and M. depressa are not present in South Africa and their status as being distributed worldwide deserves further investigation. Marphysa durbanensis Day, 1934 and the new species described here, M. sherlockae n. sp., had been misidentified as M. macintoshi and M. depressa respectively. Thus, the number of Marphysa species with distributions restricted to South Africa increased from three to five. This study reiterates the importance of implementing an integrated taxonomic framework to unravel local biodiversity.

【 授权许可】

CC BY