Two lineages of Poluandrocarpa zorritensis co-exist in the US southeastern Atlantic
Presentation
Overview
Overview
Description
The ascidian Polyandrocarpa zorritensis (Van Name, 1931) is a colonial stolidobranch first described from Peru. Since then, the species has been recorded in many locations around the world, including both the Caribbean and Mediterranean Seas, the eastern and western USA coasts, Panama and India. Here we sequenced a fragment of the mitochondrial gene Cytochrome c Oxidase subunit I (COI) to determine the genetic diversity of this species in southeastern USA. Samples were collected in March 2017 from Sunset Cay (South Carolina, n = 5), and from Fernandina Beach (Florida, n = 16) and Smyrna Beach (Florida, n = 17). Phylogenetic analyses revealed that two lineages of P. zorritensis co-exist in southeastern USA. No morphological differences were observed between individuals grouped in either clade. Our results indicate that two distinct lineages of P. zorritensis have successfully colonized different regions of the globe, living in sympatry in the US southeastern Atlantic.
