Phyllidiid nudibranchs are brightly
colored gastropod mollusks,
frequently encountered in coral reefs of the tropical Indo-Pacific.
The lack of a protective shell is suggested to be compensated by toxic
secondary metabolites that are sequestered from specific prey sponges.
Our ongoing reconstruction of phyllidiid phylogeny using molecular
data of more than 700 specimens, based on published data and newly
collected specimens in various seasons and localities around North
Sulawesi (Indonesia), demonstrates that Phyllidiella pustulosa is a species complex with at least seven well-supported clades.
A metabolomic analysis of 52 specimens from all seven clades of P. pustulosa was performed. Secondary metabolite profiles
were found to correlate with the phylogenetic study and not the prevailing
food sponges as expected. GNPS molecular networking revealed a unique
chemotype in clade 6. Detailed chemical analysis of a specimen from
this chemically and genetically distinct P. pustulosa clade led to the identification of seven new sesquiterpenoids with
a rare dichloroimidic moiety (1 and 4) and
derivatives thereof (2, 3, 5–7). Our findings suggest that P. pustulosa clades should be raised to the species level.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.