Unveiling the identity of Diaurora Cockerell, 1903 (Bivalvia, Unionidae): morphology, molecular phylogenetics, and the description of a new species

By

Chen, Zhongguang
Dai, Yu-Ting
Ouyang, Shan
Huang, Xiao-Chen
Wu, Xiaoping

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2023

Original Publication

ZooKeys

Volume

1173

Pages

131--144

Subjects

Changjiang River , freshwater mussel , Morphology , phylogenetic analysis , taxonomy

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1173.106148

 

Abstract

The monotypic freshwater mussel genus Diaurora Cockerell, 1903 has long been enigmatic due to its rarity and morphological confusion with Acuticosta. In this study, we comprehensively redescribed Diaurora aurorea (Heude, 1883) through a detailed analysis of shell morphology and molecular phylogenetics of recently collected specimens. Moreover, a new species, Diaurora laevesp. nov., was identified from the Fuyishui River, a tributary of the Zishui River in Shaoyang County, Shaoyang City, Hunan Province, China. Molecular phylogenetic analyses showed that D. aurorea and D. laevesp. nov. were reciprocally monophyletic and formed a clade as sister to Schistodesmus. Our study underscores the necessity of further exploring the diversity of freshwater mussels in understudied small tributaries throughout China.