Molecular phylogeny of Nipponacmea (Patellogastropoda, Lottiidae) from Japan: a re-evaluation of species taxonomy and morphological diagnosis

By

Teruya, Shinnosuke
Setiamarga, Davin H. E.
Nakano, Tomoyuki
Sasaki, Takenori

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2022-2-25

Original Publication

ZooKeys

Volume

1087

Pages

163--198

Subjects

Lottiidae , Morphology , Nipponacmea , Phylogeny , taxonomy

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1087.78193

 

Abstract

The patellogastropod limpet genusNipponacmeais widely distributed in Japan and adjacent East Asia. Species identification withinNipponacmeais challenging due to the high variation in shell morphology. In this study, we examined the taxonomy of this genus represented by nine nominal species from 43 localities (including type localities). Results of the molecular phylogenetic analysis revealed that: (1)N. gloriosa, the sole species in this genus inhabiting the subtidal zone, represents the most basal independent branch; (2) the remaining species are divided into two large clades with lower- and higher-apex shell profiles; and (3) the high-apex morphology was derived from the low-apex type. The terminal clades defined using the molecular data were consistent with nine morphospecies and had 100% bootstrap values, strongly supporting the conventional taxonomy ofNipponacmea. Although morphological similarities do not always reflect phylogeny, the set of morphological characters used in the current taxonomy were proven to be adequate for diagnosis. In conclusion, this study provided solid evidence to uphold the monophyly of known species ofNipponacmeain Japan and demonstrated the usefulness of morphological characters for species diagnosis.