An elongated COI fragment to discriminate botryllid species and as an improved ascidian DNA barcode.

ABSTRACT: Botryllids are colonial ascidians widely studied for their potential invasiveness and as model organisms, however the morphological description and discrimination of these species is very problematic, leading to frequent specimen misidentifications. To facilitate species discrimination and detection of cryptic/new species, we developed new barcoding primers for the amplification of a COI fragment of about 860 bp (860-COI), which is an extension of the common Folmer's barcode region. Our 860-COI was successfully amplified in 177 worldwide-sampled botryllid colonies. Combined with morphological analyses, 860-COI allowed not only discriminating known species, but also identifying undescribed and cryptic species, resurrecting old species currently in synonymy, and proposing the assignment of c

SUBMITTER: Salonna M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7892571 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature