Evidence using morphology, molecules, and biogeography clarifies the taxonomic status of mole crabs of the genus Emerita Scopoli, 1777 (Anomura, Hippidae) and reveals a new species from the western Atlantic

By

Mantelatto, Fernando L.
Paixão, Juliana
Robles, Rafael
Teles, Jeniffer
Balbino, Felipe

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2023

Original Publication

ZooKeys

Volume

1161

Pages

169--202

Subjects

16S rRNA , COI , Cryptic Diversity , Distribution , molecular data , Phylogeny

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1161.99432

 

Abstract

Uncertainties regarding the taxonomic status and biogeographical distribution of some species of the genus Emerita from the western Atlantic led to thorough examination of the subtle morphological differences between two coexistent species (E. brasiliensis Schmitt, 1935 and E. portoricensis Schmitt, 1935) along the Brazilian coast and compare them using two genetic markers. The molecular phylogenetic analysis based on sequences of the 16S rRNA and COI genes showed that individuals identified as E. portoricensis were clustered into two clades: one containing representatives from the Brazilian coast and another containing specimens distributed in Central America. Our molecular-based phylogeny, combined with a detailed morphological analysis, revealed the Brazilian population as a new species, which is described here as Emerita almeidai Mantelatto & Balbino, sp. nov. The number of species in the genus Emerita is now raised to 12, with five of them occurring in the western Atlantic, five in the Indo-Pacific, and two in the eastern Pacific.