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| Cyerce piercei Moreno, Rico, Middlebrooks, Medrano, Valdés & Krug, 2024 |
Abstract
Integrative studies have revealed cryptic radiations in several Caribbean lineages of heterobranch sea slugs, raising questions about the evolutionary mechanisms that promote speciation within the tropical Western Atlantic. Cyerce Bergh, 1871 is a genus comprising 12 named species in the family Caliphyllidae that lack the photosynthetic ability of other sacoglossans but are noted for vibrant colours on the large cerata (dorsal leaf-like appendages) that characterize many species. Two species are widely reported from the Caribbean: Cyerce cristallina (Trinchese, 1881) and Cyerce antillensis Engel, 1927. Here, we present an integrative assessment of diversity in Caribbean Cyerce. Four methods of molecular species delimitation supported seven species in samples from the Caribbean and adjacent subtropical Western Atlantic. Six delimited species formed a monophyletic lineage in phylogenetic analyses but were > 9% divergent at the barcoding COI locus and could be differentiated using ecological, reproductive and/or morphological traits. We redescribe C. antillensis, a senior synonym for the poorly known Cyerce habanensis Ortea & Templado, 1988, and describe five new species. Evolutionary shifts in algal host use, penial armature and larval life history might have acted synergistically to promote the rapid divergence of endemic species with restricted distributions in this radiation, substantially increasing global diversity of the genus.
Caribbean phylogeography, cryptic species, gastropod, heterobranch, species delimitation
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| Cyerce piercei, live specimens. A, B, dorsal views of specimen collected on Penicillus lamourouxii in Tarpon Springs, FL, USA; actual size, 9 mm. A, photographed with lighting from above. B, photographed with oblique lighting. C, D, dorsal view of specimen collected on Udotea looensis at 15 m depth from Mary’s Ledge reef, offshore of St. Petersburg, FL, USA; actual size, 7 mm. C, photographed with lighting from above. D, photographed with oblique lighting. |
Cyerce browneveorum sp. nov.
Cyerce ellingsonorum sp. nov.
Cyerce nicholasi sp. nov.
Cyerce piercei sp. nov.
Cyerce willetteorum sp. nov.
Karina Moreno, Diane M Rico, Michael Middlebrooks, Sabrina Medrano, Ángel A Valdés and Patrick J Krug. 2024. A Cryptic Radiation of Caribbean Sea Slugs revealed by Integrative Analysis: Cyerce ‘antillensis’ (Sacoglossa: Caliphyllidae) is Six Distinct Species. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 200(4); 940–979, DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlad111