The Caribbean intertidal mite Alismobates inexpectatus (Acari, Oribatida), an unexpected case of cryptic diversity?

ABSTRACT: Molecular genetic analyses of Caribbean populations of the supposedly widespread intertidal oribatid mite Alismobates inexpectatus revealed the existence of a cryptic species. The new species, Alismobates piratus sp. n., shows considerable COI and 18S rRNA gene sequence divergences and although morphometric analyses indicate considerable variation between the taxa, no distinguishing morphological feature could be detected. The extreme intertidal environment is suggested to be responsible for the observed morphological stasis of the two species and vicariance is supposed to be responsible for their speciation. Alismobates piratus sp. n. was found on Hispaniola, Guadeloupe, Barbados and Curaçao indicating a predominant distribution on the Greater and Lesser

SUBMITTER: Pfingstl T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10689554 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature