A New Species of the Freshwater Cladoceran Genus Scapholeberis Schoedler, 1858 (Cladocera: Anomopoda) from the Semidesert Northern Mexico, Highlighted by DNA Barcoding

Abstract

Sequencing of the CO1 mitochondrial gene (barcoding) highlighted a possible different species in the semi-desert region of Mexico. After a detailed morphological analysis we describe Scapholeberis duranguensis n. sp. (Cladocera: Anomopoda: Daphniidae). Specimens from the type locality, El Chupadero, Durango, were compared with specimens of S. armata armata Herrick, 1882 and S. armata freyi Dumont and Pensaert, 1983 from Canada and southeastern, central and northern Mexico. The main characters that differentiate the new species are: (1) a thicker denticulate membrane with a conspicuous underlying hyaline membrane at the posterior rim of the valves, (2) fewer setae in the gnathobase of trunk limb II and (3) longer and more rectilinear ejector hooks in trunk limb I. The presence of a pore-like structure at the top of the head was also observed, however we are not certain whether this can be considered as a distinctive character, as it was not consistent in all SEM scanned organisms. The denticulate membrane, the number of setae in the gnathobase of trunk limb II and the length of the ejector hooks are characters shared with other species, however, the combination of them and in particular the structure and thickness of the double membrane at the posterior rim of the valves lead us to conclude that S. duranguensis is a species different from S. armata and from other members of this genus. The CO1 sequences of S. armata freyi and S. duranguensis n. sp. showed a mean divergence of 12.02%, thus supporting the morphological differences between them. Finally, a comparison of the CO1 sequences of Scapholeberis duranguensis n.sp. with other Scapholeberinae available in GenBank supported our results.

Improved protocols to accelerate the assembly of DNA barcode reference libraries for freshwater zooplankton

“…2015). In addition, DNA barcode studies have often revealed many species overlooked by prior taxonomic studies (Elías‐Gutiérrez & Valdez‐Moreno, ; Gutiérrez‐Aguirre, Cervantes‐Martínez, & Elías‐Gutiérrez, ; Miracle, Alekseev, Monchenko, Sentandreu, & Vicente, ; Montiel‐Martínez et al., ; Quiroz‐Vazquez & Elías‐Gutiérrez, ; Sukhikh & Alekseev, ), allowing more comprehensive research at broader taxonomic scales.…”

“…By contrast, COI has demonstrated its capacity to distinguish known species in all lineages of freshwater zooplankton (Elías-Gutiérrez, Martínez-Jerónimo, et al, 2008;García-Morales & Elías-Gutiérrez, 2013;Jeffery et al, 2011;Montiel-Martínez, Ciros-Pérez, Ortega-Mayagoitia, & Elías-Gutiérrez, 2008), including closely related species complexes such as the cladoceran Moina micrura (Montoliu et al 2015). In addition, DNA barcode studies have often revealed many species overlooked by prior taxonomic studies Gutiérrez-Aguirre, Cervantes-Martínez, & Elías-Gutiérrez, 2014;Miracle, Alekseev, Monchenko, Sentandreu, & Vicente, 2013;Montiel-Martínez et al, 2008;Quiroz-Vazquez & Elías-Gutiérrez, 2009;Sukhikh & Alekseev, 2015), allowing more comprehensive research at broader taxonomic scales.…”

Daphnia diversity on the Tibetan Plateau measured by DNA taxonomy

“…Other studies have revealed deep genetic divergences among allopatric populations of single species (De Gelas & De Meester, ; Thielsch, Brede, Petrusek, de Meester, & Schwenk, ). Recently, DNA barcoding was used to document cryptic speciation and species diversity in the sub‐Arctic region of Canada (Jeffery, Elías‐Gutiérrez, & Adamowicz, ), Mexico (Elías‐Gutiérrez & Valdez‐Moreno, ; Quiroz‐Vázquez & Elías‐Gutiérrez, ), Guatemala (Elías‐Gutiérrez, Kotov, & Garfias‐Espejo, ), and in other parts of North America (Penton et al., ). DNA barcoding in the present study also revealed that Daphnia species diversity on the Tibetan Plateau is much higher than previously thought (Chiang, ; Chiang & Chen, ; Chiang & Du, ; Chiang et al., ; Shen & Sung, ), doubling the described and provisional species number from 5 ( D. magna , D. tibetana , D. pulex , D. similoides , and D. dentifera ) to 10.…”

An Example of How Barcodes Can Clarify Cryptic Species: The Case of the Calanoid Copepod Mastigodiaptomus albuquerquensis (Herrick)

“…Both genetic analyses and morphology, have been employed to successfully discriminate sibling species of marine and freshwater copepods [24], [25], cladocerans [23], rotifers [26], polychaetes [27], and others. These descriptions based on morphology and molecular data, are part of the integrative taxonomy [28], a new approach where different types of evidence converge to support the species discovery that currently is revitalizing this discipline [29].…”