title: When everything converges: integrative taxonomy with shell, DNA and venomic data reveals Conus conco, a new species of cone snails (Gastropoda: Conoidea).
abstract: Cone snails have long been studied both by taxonomists for the diversity of their shells and by biochemists for the potential therapeutic applications of their toxins. Phylogenetic approaches have revealed that different lineages of Conus evolved divergent venoms, a property that is exploited to enhance the discovery of new conotoxins, but is rarely used in taxonomy. Specimens belonging to the Indo-West Pacific Conus lividus species complex were analyzed using phenetic and phylogenetic methods based on shell morphology, COI and 28S rRNA gene sequences and venom mRNA expression and protein composition. All methods converged to reveal a new species, C. conco n. sp. (described in Supplementary data), restricted to the Marquesas Islands, where it diverged recently (∼3mya) from C. lividus. The geographical distribution of C. conco and C. lividus and their phylogenetic relationships suggest that the two species diverged in allopatry. Furthermore, the diversity of the transcript sequences and toxin molecular masses suggest that C. conco evolved unique toxins, presumably in response to new selective pressure, such as the availability of new preys and ecological niches. Furthermore, this new species evolved new transcripts giving rise to original toxin structures, probably each carrying specific biological activity.
authors.affiliation: Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Departement Systematique et Evolution, ISyEB Institut (UMR 7205 CNRS/UPMC/MNHN/EPHE), 43, Rue Cuvier, 75231 Paris, France; Atheris Laboratories, Case Postale 314, CH-1233 Bernex-Geneva, Switzerland. Electronic address: puillandre@mnhn.fr.
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Puillandre
authors.affiliation: Atheris Laboratories, Case Postale 314, CH-1233 Bernex-Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Reto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Stöcklin
authors.affiliation: Atheris Laboratories, Case Postale 314, CH-1233 Bernex-Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Favreau
authors.affiliation: Atheris Laboratories, Case Postale 314, CH-1233 Bernex-Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Estelle
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bianchi
authors.affiliation: Atheris Laboratories, Case Postale 314, CH-1233 Bernex-Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Frédéric
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Perret
authors.affiliation: UMS 2700, Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Departement Systematique et Evolution, 43, Rue Cuvier, 75231 Paris, France.
authors.forename: Audrey
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rivasseau
authors.affiliation: 11, rue de la Poste, 60510 Haudivillers, France.
authors.forename: Loïc
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Limpalaër
authors.affiliation: Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers, Département Chimie, Alimentation, Santé, Environnement et Risque, 292, rue Saint-Martin, 75003 Paris, France.
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Monnier
authors.affiliation: Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Departement Systematique et Evolution, ISyEB Institut (UMR 7205 CNRS/UPMC/MNHN/EPHE), 55, Rue Buffon, 75231 Paris, France.
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bouchet
mesh_terms: D060105:Animal Shells / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D000818:Animals; D001499:Bayes Theorem; D005075:Biological Evolution; D020916:Conotoxins / Q000737:chemistry*; D052078:Conus Snail / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics; D010139:Pacific Islands; D010449:Peptide Mapping; D010802:Phylogeny; D012339:RNA, Ribosomal, 28S / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D059467:Transcriptome
chemical_list: D020916:Conotoxins; D012339:RNA, Ribosomal, 28S
keywords: Conidae; Conopeptides; MALDI-TOF-MS; Species delimitation; Toxins; Transcriptomes