Barcoding of ancient lake ostracods (crustacea) reveals cryptic speciation with extremely low distances.

ABSTRACT: Ostracods are drastically reduced crustaceans, with never more than eight appendages enclosed between two valves, leaving only a limited number of morphological characters for species delineation. Conservative morphology of characters used to define genera, along with high variability of characters used to define species are creating problems in applying a morphospecies concept. A high intraspecific variability in a Lake Biwa (Japan) endemic, Physocypria biwaensis (Okubo, 1990), has been observed previously but was never studied in detail. Two sympatric forms, differing in pigmentation and size, suggest a presence of reproductive isolation. The aim of this study is to employ molecular and morphometric tools to aid in species delineation within P. biwaensis complex and reconstruct their phy

SUBMITTER: Karanovic I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4374928 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature