Focus on the details: morphological evidence supports new cryptic land flatworm (Platyhelminthes) species revealed with molecules

Álvarez‐Presas, Marta; Amaral, Silvana Vargas do; Carbayo, Fernando; Leal-Zanchet, Ana María; Riutort, Marta

doi:10.1007/s13127-014-0197-z

Cited by 26 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…Discriminating species of Obama using morphology can be difficult, as many species are morphologically similar (Álvarez‐Presas et al . ; Carbayo et al . ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Non‐destructive imaging to describe a new species of Obama land planarian (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida)

2016

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Non-destructive imaging to describe a new species of Obama land planarian (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida). -Zoologica Scripta, 00, 000-000. The land planarians in the genus Obama include the largest species of the Neotropical Geoplaninae. Morphological discrimination of Obama species can be difficult, as many species are morphologically similar and some present asymmetric -difficult to interpretcopulatory organs. New techniques are thus welcomed to provide faster species description and identification. Here, we study several specimens of Obama by means of mainly 2D and 3D lCT-based images obtained through X-ray microcomputed tomography (lCT) of a paratype, and, complementarily, histological sections of the holotype and a second paratype, which were digitized into virtual slides. Comparison of these images with traditional histological sections and descriptions of the known species of the genus allows us to conclude that our specimens constitute a new species, which we describe here. We further evaluate the phylogenetic placement of the new species using gene fragments from the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I and the nuclear elongation factor-1a. Raw and derivative lCT data and virtual histological sections were deposited in an open repository (GigaDB) and are freely available. This work leads us to conclude that lCT constitutes a relatively fast, inexpensive non-destructive method that produces results comparable to those of traditional histology, and is thus amenable for describing flatworm species.

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“…Discriminating species of Obama using morphology can be difficult, as many species are morphologically similar (Álvarez‐Presas et al . ; Carbayo et al . ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Non‐destructive imaging to describe a new species of Obama land planarian (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida)

2016

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“…The 18S ribosomal gene is the most common molecular marker for macrostomorph flatworms on GenBank with 104 entries as of 1 December 2017 and is ideal for comparing diversity at higher taxonomic scales (Giribet, ), although its low variability in closely related species means that 18S rDNA may underestimate species diversity in some cases (Larsson, Ahmadxadeh, & Jondelius, ; Tang et al, ). The ITS and CO1 loci are highly variable and commonly used to identify species and assess intraspecific diversity in Platyhelminthes (e.g., Álvarez‐Presas, Amaral, Carbayo, Leal‐Zanchet, & Riutort, ; Larsson et al, ; Lázaro et al, ; Telford, Herniou, Russell, & Littlewood, ; Vanhov et al, ) and other meiofauna (e.g., Anslan & Tedersoo, ; Birky, Ricci, Melone, & Fontaneto, ; Bode et al, ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wide distributions and cryptic diversity within a Microstomum (Platyhelminthes) species complex

Atherton

Jondelius

2018

Zoologica Scripta

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Microstomum lineare is a common species of fresh and brackish waters found worldwide. Three genes (18S, CO1 and ITS) were sequenced from specimens of M. lineare collected from four countries, and the levels of cryptic diversity and genetic structuring were assessed. Results showed M. lineare has very wide haplotype distributions suggesting higher than expected dispersal capabilities. In addition, three new species were described on the basis of molecular taxonomy: Microstomum artoisi sp.nov., Microstomum tchaikovskyi sp. nov. and Microstomum zicklerorum sp. nov.

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“…They are simple animals that do not possess mechanisms for water retention; therefore, they are dependent on soil moisture to maintain their water requirements and use vertical migration through soil, litter, and vegetation to keep their humidity (Winsor, Johns, & Yeates, 1998). Land planarians are in general sensible to disturbed habitats, although some are reported to be adapted to inhabit them (Carbayo, Leal‐Zanchet, & Vieira, 2002; Oliveira et al., 2014; Álvarez‐Presas, Amaral, Carbayo, Leal‐Zanchet, & Riutort, 2015). Based on these features, some studies have highlighted the value of this group of organisms as bioindicators in relation to the habitat perturbations caused by human activities (Sluys, 1998).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…At last, none of the community studies conducted so far has taken into account the phylogenetic relationships between the species found, nor whether these relationships or the climatic and geological history of the area can explain communities’ composition differences among areas. Moreover, none has used molecular data in conjunction with phylogenetic inference methods to delineate genetic lineages, which also provides a more accurate delimitation of molecular operational taxonomic units (MOTUs) or species and avoids the problem of identifying morphologically cryptic or pseudocryptic species (common in terrestrial planarians, Álvarez‐Presas et al., 2015; Carbayo, Álvarez‐Presas, Jones, & Riutort, 2016; Amaral et al., 2018) that may take much time and lengthen the process of community study.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, none has used molecular data in conjunction with phylogenetic inference methods to delineate genetic lineages, which also provides a more accurate delimitation of molecular operational taxonomic units (MOTUs) or species and avoids the problem of identifying morphologically cryptic or pseudocryptic species (common in terrestrial planarians, Álvarez-Presas et al, 2015;Carbayo, Álvarez-Presas, Jones, & Riutort, 2016;Amaral et al, 2018) that may take much time and lengthen the process of community study.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Hidden diversity in forest soils: Characterization and comparison of terrestrial flatworm’s communities in two national parks in Spain

Álvarez‐Presas

Mateos

Riutort

2018

Ecology and Evolution

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Terrestrial flatworms (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, and Geoplanidae) belong to what is known as cryptic soil fauna of humid forests and are animals not easily found or captured in traps. Nonetheless, they have been demonstrated to be good indicators of the conservation status of their habitat as well as a good model to reconstruct the recent and old events affecting biodiversity. This is mainly due to their delicate constitution, their dependence on the integrity of their habitat, and their very low dispersal capacity. At present, little is known about their communities, except for some studies performed in Brazil. In this work, we analyze for the first time in Europe terrestrial flatworm communities. We have selected two protected areas belonging to the Red Española de Parques Nacionales. Our aims include performing a first study of the species richness and community structure for European terrestrial planarian species at regional and local scale. We evaluate the effect of type of forests in the community composition and flatworms’ abundance, but also have into account the phylogenetic framework (never considered in previous studies) analyzed based on molecular data. We find differences in the species composition among parks, with an astonishingly high diversity of endemic species in the Parque Nacional de Picos de Europa and an extremely low diversity of species in the Parque Nacional de Ordesa y Monte Perdido. These divergent patterns cannot be attributed to differences in physical variables, and in addition, the analyses of their phylogenetic relationships and, for a few species, their genetic structure, point to a more probable historical explanation.

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Focus on the details: morphological evidence supports new cryptic land flatworm (Platyhelminthes) species revealed with molecules

Cited by 26 publications

References 33 publications

Non‐destructive imaging to describe a new species of Obama land planarian (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida)

Non‐destructive imaging to describe a new species of Obama land planarian (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida)

Wide distributions and cryptic diversity within a Microstomum (Platyhelminthes) species complex

Hidden diversity in forest soils: Characterization and comparison of terrestrial flatworm’s communities in two national parks in Spain

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