Species delimitation in the coral genus Goniopora (Scleractinia, Poritidae) from the Saudi Arabian Red Sea.
Variable skeletal morphology, genotype induced plasticity, and homoplasy of skeletal structures have presented major challenges for scleractinian coral taxonomy and systematics since the 18th century. Although the recent integration of genetic and micromorphological data is helping to clarify the taxonomic confusion within the order, phylogenetic relationships and species delimitation within most coral genera are still far from settled. In the present study, the species boundaries in the scleractinian coral genus Goniopora were investigated using 199 colonies from the Saudi Arabian Red Sea and sequencing of four molecular markers: the mitochondrial intergenic spacer between CytB and NAD2, the nuclear ribosomal ITS region, and two single-copy nuclear genes (ATPsβ and CalM). DNA sequence data were analyzed using a variety of methods and exploratory species-delimitation tools. The results were broadly congruent in identifying five distinct molecular lineages within the sequenced Goniopora samples: G. somaliensis/G. savignyi, G. djiboutiensis/G. lobata, G. stokesi, G. albiconus/G. tenuidens, and G. minor/G. gracilis. Although the traditional macromorphological characters used to identify these nine morphospecies were not able to discriminate the obtained molecular clades, informative micromorphological and microstructural features (such as the micro-ornamentation and the arrangement of the columella) were recovered among the five lineages. Moreover, unique in vivo morphologies were associated with the genetic-delimited lineages, further supporting the molecular findings. This study represents the first attempt to identify species boundaries within Goniopora using a combined morpho-molecular approach. The obtained data establish a basis for future taxonomic revision of the genus, which should include colonies across its entire geographical distribution in the Indo-Pacific.
Red Sea Research Center, Division of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia. Electronic address: tulliaisotta.terraneo@kaust.edu.sa.
Tullia I
TI
Terraneo
Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza 2, Milano 20126, Italy; Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, UMR227 Coreus2, 101 Promenade Roger Laroque, BP A5, 98848 Noumea Cedex, New Caledonia.
Francesca
F
Benzoni
Red Sea Research Center, Division of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
Roberto
R
Arrigoni
Red Sea Research Center, Division of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
Michael L
ML
Berumen
D000818:Animals; D037421:Anthozoa / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics; D002147:Calmodulin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D045303:Cytochromes b / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D006239:Haplotypes; D019156:Indian Ocean; D025261:Mitochondrial Proton-Translocating ATPases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D009245:NADH Dehydrogenase / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D010802:Phylogeny; D012529:Saudi Arabia; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
D002147:Calmodulin; D004247:DNA; D045303:Cytochromes b; D009245:NADH Dehydrogenase; D025261:Mitochondrial Proton-Translocating ATPases
ABGD; DNA taxonomy; GMYC; Haplowebs; Integrative taxonomy; PTP