First detection of an ocellate octopus in the Revillagigedos ecoregion, a biodiversity hotspot located in the Tropical East Pacific Province.

ABSTRACT: The biodiversity of mollusks, particularly cephalopods, has not been exhaustively determined in the Revillagigedos ecoregion, which is a biodiversity hotspot for several marine groups located in the Tropical East Pacific Province. In our study, we detected and examined ocellate octopuses from Socorro and Clarion Islands, and determined their identity using morphological criteria and molecular data from two mitochondrial genes (COIII and COI). The taxon identified was Octopus oculifer, a species considered endemic to the Galapagos Archipelago. In addition, according to our analyses, O. mimus, O. hubbsorum and O. oculifer are very closely related and may represent a species complex comprised of three morphotypes. We found that the evolutionary relationships among

SUBMITTER: Valdez-Cibrian A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7661478 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature