Genetic analysis confirms the freshwater origin of the endemic Caspian sponges (Demospongiae, Spongillida, Metschnikowiidae)

By

Sokolova, Agniya
Palatov, Dmitry
Itskovich, Valeria B

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2020

Original Publication

ZooKeys

Volume

915

Pages

1--16

Subjects

Caspian Sea , CO1 , ITS1 , ITS2 , Metschnikowia , Porifera , Spongillida

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.915.47460

 

Abstract

The Caspian Sea is a unique inland brackish waterbody inhabited by highly endemic fauna. This fauna consists of species of both marine and freshwater origin. Some Caspian invertebrates cannot be confidently referred to as animals of either origin. The endemic monophyletic family of sponges, Metschnikowiidae, is among them. Although these sponges are considered as fresh water in the modern literature, no researcher has seen them alive for many years, and its status is actually unconfirmed. Here, we present the first photos ofMetschnikowia tuberculataGrimm, 1877 and report evidence for its freshwater origin based on analysis of ITS1 and ITS2 sequences and partial sequences of CO1 gene. According to the genetic analysis,M. tuberculatabelongs to the order Spongillida. We observed specimens of diverse appearance, but their spicule complement proved to be similar, and ITS sequences were identical. Thus, we conclude that they belong to the same species. The obtained results expand our knowledge about the dispersal ability of freshwater sponges.