Abstract
BackgroundIn zoology, species descriptions conventionally rely on invasive morphological techniques, frequently leading to damage of the specimens and thus only a partial understanding of their structural complexity. More recently, non-destructive imaging techniques have successfully been used to describe smaller fauna, but this approach has so far not been applied to identify or describe larger animal species. Here, we present a combination of entirely non-invasive as well as minimally invasive methods that permit taxonomic descriptions of large zoological specimens in a more comprehensive manner.ResultsUsing the single available representative of an allegedly novel species of deep-sea cephalopod (Mollusca: Cephalopoda), digital photography, standardized external measurements, high-field magnetic resonance imaging, micro-computed tomography, and DNA barcoding were combined to gather all morphological and molecular characters relevant for a full species description. The results show that this specimen belongs to the cirrate octopod (Octopoda: Cirrata) genus Grimpoteuthis Robson, 1932. Based on the number of suckers, position of web nodules, cirrus length, presence of a radula, and various shell characters, the specimen is designated as the holotype of a new species of dumbo octopus, G. imperator sp. nov. The digital nature of the acquired data permits a seamless online deposition of raw as well as derived morphological and molecular datasets in publicly accessible repositories.ConclusionsUsing high-resolution, non-invasive imaging systems intended for the analysis of larger biological objects, all external as well as internal morphological character states relevant for the identification of a new megafaunal species were obtained. Potentially harmful effects on this unique deep-sea cephalopod specimen were avoided by scanning the fixed animal without admixture of a contrast agent. Additional support for the taxonomic placement of the new dumbo octopus species was obtained through DNA barcoding, further underlining the importance of combining morphological and molecular datasets for a holistic description of zoological specimens.
Highlights
In zoology, species descriptions conventionally rely on invasive morphological techniques, frequently leading to damage of the specimens and only a partial understanding of their structural complexity
Invasive methods to obtain morphological character states still form the cornerstone of metazoan species descriptions, despite the increased use of molecular techniques [1, 2]
Invasive techniques invariably alter the structural integrity of zoological specimens and do not permit studying organ systems in their natural context, resulting in a significantly restricted representation of the complexity of an organism
Summary
Species descriptions conventionally rely on invasive morphological techniques, frequently leading to damage of the specimens and only a partial understanding of their structural complexity. Non-destructive imaging techniques have successfully been used to describe smaller fauna, but this approach has so far not been applied to identify or describe larger animal species. Describing a new cephalopod (Mollusca: Cephalopoda) species requires providing information on internal organs obtained through dissection [3]. This approach involves damage to or even partial destruction of the specimen at hand and may preclude analysis of singular, endangered, rare, or otherwise valuable organisms. The application of such methods—an approach more recently labelled morphomics [9]—has so far been successfully demonstrated for the identification or description of smaller fauna [10,11,12], larger metazoan species have, for various technical or logistical reasons, far not been the target of this type of analysis
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