Integrating DNA and morphological taxonomy to describe diversity in poorly studied microscopic animals: new species of the genus Abrochtha Bryce, 1910 (Rotifera: Bdelloidea: Philodinavidae)

Abstract

Specimens of the bdelloid rotifer genus Abrochtha were collected from mountain and desert sites in the western USA. All were morphologically distinct from the two previously described species of this genus. Barcode sequences of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene were obtained from 14 specimens. These were shown to be samples from four different independently evolving populations or metapopulations, i.e. evolutionary species. Two different species criteria rooted in population and evolutionary genetic theory, the 4¥ rule and the generalized mixed yule coalescent (GMYC) method, agreed in the delimitation of the four species. Three of these evolutionary species are formally described as new species; two are cryptic species, differentiable only by statistical analysis of morphometric data. This is the first time that these species criteria have been used in new species descriptions, and the first formal descriptions of cryptic bdelloid species delimited by molecular analyses.

A toolbox for integrative species delimitation in Machilis jumping bristletails (Microcoryphia: Machilidae)

“…Integrative taxonomy (DeSalle et al, 2005;Padial et al, 2010;Schlick-Steiner et al, 2010) has proven to significantly improve the rigour of species delimitation in various animal taxa (SchlickSteiner et al, 2006;Fontaneto et al, 2007;Bond and Stockman, 2008;Macías-Hernández et al, 2008;Leaché et al, 2009;Bailey et al, 2010;Damm et al, 2010;Glaw et al, 2010;Lumley and Sperling, 2010;Ross et al, 2010;Steiner et al, 2010;Birky et al, 2011;Gurgel-Gonç alves et al, 2011;Moyal et al, 2011;Seppä et al, 2011). Multi-source approaches take advantage of complementarities amongst disciplines: It is assumed that the strength of any species delimitation hypothesis rises with the independence of the information sources , i.e.…”

Differences in life history characteristics among three sympatric evolutionary species of theRotaria rotatoriacomplex

“…Rotaria rotatoria is an asexual freshwater bdelloid rotifer, which is the largest Metazoan group that reproduces using only parthenogenesis (Ricci & Melone 2000;Mark Welch & Meselson, 2000, Fontaneto et al 2008Birky 2011). A large number of investigations dealing with ecological and evolutionary responses of monogont rotifers to temperature have recently been conducted because of their highly susceptibility to physical and chemical changes in their environment due to their small size and peculiar parthenogenetic reproduction (Miracle & Serra 1989;Snell et al 1991;Nogrady et al 1993;Xiang et al 2010;Huang et al 2012;Pan et al 2014).…”

On the Bennelongia barangaroo lineage (Crustacea, Ostracoda) in Western Australia, with the description of seven new species

“…this technique has been successfully used in bdelloid rotifers (Fontaneo et al 2007(Fontaneo et al , 2009Birky & Barraclough 2009;Birky et al 2011Birky et al ), asexual ostracods (schön et al 2012) including other Bennelongia ostracod species shearn et al 2012), and a wide range of asexual prokaryotes (Birky et al 2010).…”