Abstract
Presence of mollusk assemblages was studied within red coralligenous algae Corallina officinalis L. along the southern Istrian coast. C. officinalis turfs can be considered a biodiversity reservoir, as they shelter numerous invertebrate species. The aim of this study was to identify mollusk species within these settlements using DNA barcoding as a method for detailed identification of mollusks. Nine locations and 18 localities with algal coverage range above 90% were chosen at four research areas. From 54 collected samples of C. officinalis turfs, a total of 46 mollusk species were identified. Molecular methods helped identify 16 gastropod, 14 bivalve and one polyplacophoran species. COI sequences for two bivalve species (Musculus cf. costulatus (Risso, 1826) and Gregariella semigranata (Reeve, 1858)) and seven gastropod species (Megastomia winfriedi Peñas & Rolán, 1999, Eatonina sp. Thiele, 1912, Eatonina cossurae (Calcara, 1841), Crisilla cf. maculata (Monterosato, 1869), Alvania cf. carinata (da Costa, 1778), Vitreolina antiflexa (Monterosato, 1884) and Odostomia plicata (Montagu, 1803)) represent new BINs in BOLD database. This study contributes to new findings related to the high biodiversity of mollusks associated with widespread C. officinalis settlements along the southern coastal area of Istria.
Highlights
Corallina officinalis L. is an encrusting red alga, globally widely distributed in the temperate zone where it forms dense settlements in the intertidal area
A total of 14,757 individual mollusks were isolated from C. officinalis turfs collected along the southern Istrian coast and identified to the species level wherever possible
C. officinalis turfsbeen have investigated for years, there are still many unknowns regarding its settlements, which is been investigated for years, there are still many unknowns regarding its settlements, further substantiated by the fact that we identified one gastropod genus (Episcomitra) and which is further substantiated by the fact that we identified one gastropod genus (Episthree bivalve genera (Gregariella, Striarca) were notthat documented in previous comitra) and three bivalve generaLucinella
Summary
Corallina officinalis L. is an encrusting red alga, globally widely distributed in the temperate zone where it forms dense settlements in the intertidal area. It modifies the environment through its characteristic structure and is an ideal example of how algae affect the composition and interaction of organisms within their settlements [1]. All previous data showed high abundance and Changes in the structure and composition of macrofauna found in C. officinalis turfs have been studied worldwide [2,7,8,9,10,11]. The most common taxonomic groups found were polychaetes, crustaceans (amphipods, isopods, tanaidaceans, decapods), pycnogonids and mollusks, mostly represented bymost bivalves and gastropods
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