Morphology of planktonic zoeal stages of Palicus caronii (Decapoda, Brachyura), identified by DNA barcoding, provides novelties to\xa0Palicoidea larval systematics

Giorgia Di Muzio,Piero Cervella,Rocco Mussat Sartor,Daniela Pessani,Nicola Nurra,Marco Battuello,Jose A Cuesta

doi:10.1038/s41598-019-55412-3

Giorgia Di Muzio, Piero Cervella + Show 5 more

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https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-55412-3

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Abstract

The zoeal development of the brachyuran crab, Palicus caronii, comprises two zoeal stages and the morphology is described and illustrated in detail. The zoeae were collected in plankton samples from the Southern Ligurian Sea (Western Mediterranean). Although the morphology of the larval stages of this species was unknown, a combination of characters allowed the zoeae to initially be assigned to the Palicidae, based on the previous unique known first zoeal description of one species of this family. Later, the identification of the larvae as Palicus caronii was confirmed through molecular analysis. The morphological features of the zoeae that characterize the Palicidae and separate them from the Crossotonotidae are confirmed. Also, the larval development comprising only two zoeal stages observed in Palicus caronii, the peculiar and uncommon carapace surface setation, and the presence of anterodorsal and posterodorsal sensory dorsal organs suggest that these characters could be common to the Palicoidea.

Highlights

IntroductionIn a molecular phylogeny of grapsoid crabs, Schubart et al.[4] included in the phylogenetic analysis two palicoid species, Palicus caronii (Roux, 1830) and C. spinipes, and the results show long distances between the two species, currently considered belonging to two different families[3]
There are few molecular data of this superfamily
The zoeal sequence was compared with that from an adult P. caronii specimen collected from Cartagena, Spain by the MEGALOPADN project, showing a 99% match, with only 4 nucleotide substitutions out of 663 bp being observed

Summary

Introduction

In a molecular phylogeny of grapsoid crabs, Schubart et al.[4] included in the phylogenetic analysis two palicoid species, Palicus caronii (Roux, 1830) and C. spinipes, and the results show long distances between the two species, currently considered belonging to two different families[3]. Cano[13] described zoeae he attributed to Cymopolia and he assigned the genus to the Dorippidae. Bourdillon–Casanova[16], using the descriptions of Cano[13], retained this genus within the Dorippidae, including it within her key to the brachyuran zoeae. As the authors of the present study conclude that the zoeal description of Cano[13] was based on misidentification, currently the larval development of P. caronii maintains the status as undescribed. The aim of the present work is to provide the first morphological description and illustrations of plankton caught zoeal stages of P. caronii from the Western Mediterranean Sea, identified through DNA barcoding of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 gene (COI)

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