Molecular diversity of coral reef-associated zoanthids off Qeshm Island, northern Persian Gulf

Atoosa Noori Koupaei,Seyed Mohammad Reza Fatemi,Jalil Fallah Mehrabadi,Pargol Ghavam Mostafavi

doi:10.1007/s40071-014-0064-8

Atoosa Noori Koupaei, Seyed Mohammad Reza Fatemi + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40071-014-0064-8

Copy DOI

Abstract

The Persian Gulf, a semi-enclosed sea in the subtropical northwest of the Indian Ocean, is noted for its unique biodiversity under its extreme ecological conditions. Despite high biodiversity levels, many groups of marine invertebrates in this area have remained uninvestigated. The order Zoantharia (zoanthids) is one of these taxonomically neglected groups. In this study, diversity of shallow water zoanthids off the Qeshm Island, the largest island in the Persian Gulf, was investigated for the first time. Using in situ field examination integrated with 16S rDNA sequencing and phylogenetic analysis, the presence of three zoanthid species in the inter-tidal and shallow water zone of Qeshm Island were demonstrated: Zoanthus sansibaricus (n = 12) with five morphotypes, Palythoa cf. mutuki (n = 10) with two morphotypes and Palythoa tuberculosa (n = 4) with just one morphotype. In addition to species identification, molecular examination determined phylogenetic relationships of specimens with other previously reported zoanthid species. While Zoanthus sansibaricus and Palythoa tuberculosa are two known zoanthid species, based on molecular data, Palythoa cf. mutuki is potentially a novel undescribed species. However, due to lack of data on zoanthid research and distribution for the entire Persian Gulf, further investigation is needed to clearly ascertain this matter.

Highlights

Using in situ field examination integrated with 16S rDNA sequencing and phylogenetic analysis, the presence of three zoanthid species in the inter-tidal and shallow water zone of Qeshm Island were demonstrated: Zoanthus sansibaricus (n = 12) with five morphotypes, Palythoa cf. mutuki (n = 10) with two morphotypes and Palythoa tuberculosa (n = 4) with just one morphotype
The order Zoantharia is a group of benthic colonial anthozoans which belongs to the subclass Hexacorallia
Utility of external morphological characteristics and molecular identification of zoanthids In comparing morphological versus molecular identification results, we demonstrated that zoanthid identification based on the 16S ribosomal mitochondrial DNA marker is more accurate than using morphological

Summary

Introduction

The order Zoantharia (zoanthid) is a group of benthic colonial anthozoans which belongs to the subclass Hexacorallia. They are characterized by having two rows of tentacles and one ventral siphonoglyph (Haddon and Shackleton 1891). These cnidarians are found in many marine ecosystems and are common in coral reef ecosystems worldwide (Burnett et al 1994, 1995; Reimer et al 2011). Applying mt16S rDNA as a DNA marker has aided in identification and reorganization of zoanthids species, genera and families (Reimer et al 2006a, 2006b, 2006c, 2007; Reimer and Todd 2009; Sinniger and Haussermann 2009; Sinniger et al 2010; Swain 2009)

Objectives

Methods

Conclusion