Support for a radiation of free-living flatworms in the African Great Lakes region and the description of five new Macrostomum species.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The African Great Lakes have long been recognized as an excellent location to study speciation. Most famously, cichlid fishes have radiated in Lake Tanganyika and subsequently spread into Lake Malawi and Lake Victoria, where they again radiated. Other taxa have diversified in these lakes, such as catfish, ostracods, gastropods, and Monegenean gill parasites of cichlids. However, these radiations have received less attention, and the process leading to their speciation in this unique region remains to be further explored. Here I present evidence that suggests a radiation of Macrostomum flatworms has occurred in the African Great Lakes region, offering a good opportunity for such investigations.

Results

Recent field work has revealed a monophyletic clade of 16 Macro

SUBMITTER: Brand JN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10478486 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature