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Issue: Vol. 15: 21 Oct. 2019
Type: Article
Published: 2019-10-21
DOI: 10.11646/zoosymposia.15.1.15
Page range: 129–140
Abstract views: 287
PDF downloaded: 289

Two partial mitochondrial gene sequences (COI and 12S-rRNA) suggested that Ceramaster japonicus (Sladen, 1889) and Ceramaster patagonicus (Sladen, 1889) (Asteroidea: Goniasteridae) from the Japanese waters are probably of the same species

Department of Applied Chemistry and Biochemistry, National Institute of Technology, Wakayama College, Wakayama, Japan The University Museum, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
Department of Applied Chemistry and Biochemistry, National Institute of Technology, Wakayama College, Wakayama, Japan
Department of Applied Chemistry and Biochemistry, National Institute of Technology, Wakayama College, Wakayama, Japan
Department of Applied Chemistry and Biochemistry, National Institute of Technology, Wakayama College, Wakayama, Japan
Department of Applied Chemistry and Biochemistry, National Institute of Technology, Wakayama College, Wakayama, Japan
Marine Invertebrate Research Group, National Museum of Nature and Science, Tokyo, Ibaraki, Japan Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
Marine Invertebrate Research Group, National Museum of Nature and Science, Tokyo, Ibaraki, Japan Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Washington DC, USA
Echinodermata Ceramaster molecular species classification deep-sea goniasterids

Abstract

Our recent morphological studies on the echinoderm collection of the National Museum of Nature and Science, Tokyo (NMST), indicated that the goniasterid starfishes Ceramaster japonicus (Sladen, 1889) and Ceramaster patagonicus (Sladen, 1889) are distributed in the Pacific Oceanside of Japan. In this study, we studied the NMST samples of C. japonicus and C. patagonicus from Japan, by using two mitochondrial DNA genes, the COI and 12S-rRNA, as markers to test relationships between these species in Japan. C. patagonicus sequences from GenBank were mined and included in the analyses. Results of phylogenetic and haplotype network analyses of both genes (final sequence lengths: COI = 317 bp, 12S = 477 bp) suggested that "Ceramaster patagonicus" and "Ceramaster japonicus" from Japanese waters are almost certainly synonymous without any population structure inside Japan.