Polyphyly and hidden species among Hawai'i's dominant mesophotic coral genera, Leptoseris and Pavona (Scleractinia: Agariciidae).

ABSTRACT: Widespread polyphyly in stony corals (order Scleractinia) has prompted efforts to revise their systematics through approaches that integrate molecular and micromorphological evidence. To date, these approaches have not been comprehensively applied to the dominant genera in mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs) because several species in these genera occur primarily at depths that are poorly explored and from which sample collections are limited. This study is the first integrated morphological and molecular systematic analysis of the genera Leptoseris and Pavona to examine material both from shallow-water reefs (<30 m) and from mid- to lower-MCEs (>60 m). Skeletal and tissue samples were collected throughout the Hawaiian Archipelago between 2-127 m. A novel mitochondrial marker (cox1-1-rRNA i

SUBMITTER: Luck DG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3747016 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature