engleski

Molecular taxonomy of the cave sponge Eunapius subterraneus Sket i Velikonja, 1984

The only known stygobiotic sponge Eunapius subterraneus, Sket & Velikonja, 1984 (Porifera, Spongillidae) lives in a small region near the town of Ogulin, Croatia. Two subspecies were described: E. s. subterraneus and E. s. mollisparspanis. The latter is known from a single cave (Rudnica VI), situated within the range of the more widely distributed E. s. subterraneus. In 2010 a new cave sponge population was found in a sump 1420 meters below ground in the Lukina jama – Trojama Cave system on Mt. Velebit, Croatia. To infer the overall phylogeographic structure of these cave sponges, we amplified an intron region of the ATP Synthetase Subunit β (ATPS β) gene in 93 specimens sampled throughout the entire range. The results show no population structure within the main range but clearly separate the Lukina jama – Trojama population from the others. To further corroborate these results we analyzed 18S rRNA and ITS2 molecular markers, which also did not support an independent taxonomical position of E. s. mollisparspanis but confirmed the divergence of the population from the Lukina jama - Trojama Cave system. The results of molecular analyses point to the need for a revision of taxonomy of cave sponge Eunapius subterraneus.

stygobiotic sponge; molecular phylogeny

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