Article
Version 1
This version is not peer-reviewed
New Clavelina (Ascidiacea) Species from the Bahamas
Version 1
: Received: 4 August 2024 / Approved: 5 August 2024 / Online: 5 August 2024 (08:38:32 CEST)
How to cite: Turon, X.; Lopez-Legentil, S. New Clavelina (Ascidiacea) Species from the Bahamas. Preprints 2024, 2024080279. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202408.0279.v1 Turon, X.; Lopez-Legentil, S. New Clavelina (Ascidiacea) Species from the Bahamas. Preprints 2024, 2024080279. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202408.0279.v1
Abstract
The ascidian fauna of the Bahamas remains grossly understudied. Here, we examined specimens of the genus Clavelina collected from four Bahamian islands using morphological observations and genetic barcoding. Only 3 species of Clavelina have been previously reported in the Caribbean: C. picta, C. oblonga, and C. puertosecensis. Here, we report C. picta (Verrill, 1900) and three new species in the Bahamas: C. rochae; C. pawliki; and C. erwinorum. C. picta and C. pawliki were found in the northernmost island surveyed, while C. rochae and C. erwinorum were particularly prevalent on the southeastern Bahamian islands. A complete review of genetic barcoding data and morphological characters of accepted Clavelina species was performed. The unique combination of in vivo coloration, morphological characteristics, haplotypes, and species distribution all supported the establishment of three new species, significantly adding to the diversity of the genus Clavelina in the Caribbean.
Keywords
Clavelina picta; Clavelina pawliki; Clavelina rochae; Clavelina erwinorum; Clavelinid; Tunicate; Ascidian; COI; Caribbean Sea; phylogenetic analyses
Subject
Biology and Life Sciences, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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