Open AccessSystematic review of the “ Chromodoris quadricolor group” of East Africa, with descriptions of two new species of the genus Chromodoris Alder & Hancock, 1855 (Heterobranchia, Nudibranchia)
Author(s) -
Tibiriçá Yara,
Pola Marta,
Ortigosa Deneb,
Cervera Juan Lucas
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of zoological systematics and evolutionary research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.769
H-Index - 50
eISSN - 1439-0469
pISSN - 0947-5745
DOI - 10.1111/jzs.12334
Subject(s) - biology , nudibranch , cytochrome c oxidase subunit i , zoology , species complex , genus , mitochondrial dna , evolutionary biology , phylogenetic tree , mollusca , genetics , gene
The similarities and variations in nudibranch species of the “ Chromodoris quadricolor group” (Heterobranchia, Nudibranchia) have historically created identification problems among both nudibranch enthusiasts and experts. In this study, we combine molecular genetic analyses using one nuclear gene ( histone h3 ) and two mitochondrial genes ( cytochrome c oxidase subunit I and ribosomal 16S RNA ) with morphological data to ameliorate the identification of specimens from this complex in East Africa. We include a detailed examination of polymorphisms within the group. As a result, Chromodoris boucheti is synonymized with Chromodoris lochi , and two new species are described, Chromodoris celinae sp. nov. and Chromodoris helium sp. nov. Chromodoris celinae sp. nov. is a common shallow water species that was previously misidentified as C. hamiltoni. Chromodoris helium sp. nov. is a species that appears to be restricted to depths below 30 m. This study agrees with previous research indicating the recent divergence of the genus Chromodoris .