Exploring the genetic diversity of shallow-water Agariciidae (Cnidaria: Anthozoa) from the Saudi Arabian Red Sea

Abstract

Scleractinian corals ascribed to the family Agariciidae represent an important component of Red Sea coral reef fauna, though little genetic data are currently available for this group, and existing information shows polyphyly in the examined mesophotic taxa from the Pacific Ocean. In this work, we provide a first genetic survey of Agariciidae from the Saudi Arabian Red Sea, based on a collection of shallow-water material (<30 m) from the Gulf of Aqaba to the Farasan Islands. Two molecular markers were sequenced to infer morphospecies monophyly and relationships, the intergenic region between COI and 16S rRNA from mitochondrial DNA and the ribosomal ITS1 region from nuclear DNA. A total of 20 morphospecies were identified based on classical macromorphological characters. Six, namely Gardineroseris planulata, Pavona maldivensis, Pavona clavus, Pavona decussata, Leptoseris fragilis, and Leptoseris yabei, were resolved with both DNA loci. The molecular boundaries among the remaining 14 species remain unclear. Our results further confirm that the morphology-based taxonomy of most agariciid species is in disagreement with genetics. In order to disentangle the systematics of these taxa, the inclusion of more sampling locations, additional variable loci, and a micromophological approach are likely needed. Our genetic data represent a first step towards the comparison of biodiversity and connectivity between the Red Sea and the rest of the Indo-Pacific.

Evolution and biogeography of the Zanclea-Scleractinia symbiosis

“…Scleractinian corals were identified at the genus or species level according to Veron et al (2016) and the most recent taxonomic classification (e.g. Wallace et al 2007;Benzoni et al 2010Benzoni et al , 2012Gittenberger et al 2011;Arrigoni et al 2014a, b;Huang et al 2014;Terraneo et al 2017Terraneo et al , 2019Arrigoni et al 2020). Zanclea polyps were identified at the genus or species level according to Boero et al (2000), Pantos and Bythell (2010), Hirose and Hirose (2011), and Montano et al (2015a).…”

An enhanced target-enrichment bait set for Hexacorallia provides phylogenomic resolution of the staghorn corals (Acroporidae) and close relatives

“…However, a handful of informative markers have been exploited in an opportunistic way for phylogenetics in some clades. For example, the mitochondrial spacer region between COI and 16S rRNA has been used to resolve species boundaries in agariciid genera Leptoseris and Pavona from Hawaii (Luck et al, 2013; Pochon et al, 2015; Terraneo et al, 2017). Similarly, the putative mitochondrial control region and an open reading frame located between the mitochondrial ATP6 and NAD4 genes have provided resolution among genera in the family Pocilloporidae (Flot et al, 2011; Pinzón et al, 2013; Schmidt-Roach et al, 2013).…”

Annotated checklist for stony corals of American Sāmoa with reference to mesophotic depth records

“…The notation also provides a hyperlink to the factsheet available on the CoTW webpage (http://www.coralsoftheworld.org/page/home/). Veron et al (2019) is an electronic source that has evolved from the printed worldwide overview of reefdwelling Scleractinia by Veron (2000), while Hoeksema and Cairns (2019) is based on published taxonomic revisions of various scleractinian families and genera, partly based on molecular analyses and/or on the re-examination of type specimens and other museum material (Wallace 1999;Wallace et al 2007Wallace et al , 2012Hoeksema 2009Hoeksema , 2012aHoeksema , 2012bHoeksema , 2014Benzoni et al 2010Benzoni et al , 2011Benzoni et al , 2012aBenzoni et al , 2014Gittenberger et al 2011;Huang et al 2011Huang et al , 2014aHuang et al , 2014bHuang et al , 2016Budd et al 2012;Arrigoni et al 2014Arrigoni et al , 2015Arrigoni et al , 2016aArrigoni et al , 2016bArrigoni et al , 2017Arrigoni et al , 2018aKitano et al 2014;Schmidt-Roach et al 2014;Terraneo et al 2016Terraneo et al , 2017.…”