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. 2024 Apr 23:12:e16932.
doi: 10.7717/peerj.16932. eCollection 2024.

Melanella martarum sp. nov. (Gastropoda: Eulimidae): the first parasitic deep-sea snail reported for the Salas & Gomez Ridge

Leonardo Santos de Souza #  1 , Cynthia M Asorey #  2   3 , Javier Sellanes  2   3
Affiliations

Melanella martarum sp. nov. (Gastropoda: Eulimidae): the first parasitic deep-sea snail reported for the Salas & Gomez Ridge

Leonardo Santos de Souza et al. PeerJ. .

Abstract

Eulimidae is a highly diverse family of gastropods that are often parasites of echinoderms. They are cosmopolitan and live from the intertidal to great depths. Despite its wide geographic and bathymetric distribution, no species of Eulimidae have been reported for the Salas & Gómez Ridge to date. In this study, we describe Melanella martarum sp. nov., which was collected during the EPIC oceanographic cruise onboard RV Mirai (JAMSTEC, Japan) in 2019. Seven specimens were collected with a modified Agassiz trawl on the summit of seamount "Pearl" (Zhemchuznaya) in the Salas & Gómez Ridge (25.59°S, 89.13°W) at 545 m depth. The morphology of M. martarum sp. nov. was compared with other Melanella species reported for the area, including Chile and Rapa Nui. DNA was extracted and partial sequences of the mitochondrial genes Cytochrome Oxidase 1 (COI) and 16S rDNA, and the nuclear gene Histone 3 (H3) were sequenced. Melanella martarum sp. nov. has morphological characteristics that separate it from other species of Melanella, such as the thickness and color of the shell, and the shape of the protoconch. In addition, M. martarum sp. nov. was genetically differentiated from other Melanella spp. sequences (uncorrected p distances from 18,1-8.6% in mitochondrial COI and 16S rDNA to 3% in nuclear H3 sequences). Although there is not much molecular data available for Eulimidae, the phylogenetic analysis confirms the results obtained by morphology, placing the species found on the Salas & Gómez Ridge within the genus Melanella. The current study advances the understanding of the poorly known benthic fauna found on seamounts in the easternmost part of the Sala & Gómez ridge, a location distinguished by a high level of endemism.

Keywords: Deep-sea; Indo-pacific fauna; Pacific Ocean; Salas & Gómez ridges; Nazca ridges.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare there are no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Melanella martarum. sp. nov.
(A, B) Holotype, MNHNCL-205421. (C, D, H). Paratype, SCBUCN 5482. (E–G). Paratypes, SCBUCN 8611. (A, C, E–G). Frontal view. (B, D). Dorsal view. (H). Detail of teleoconch surface, close to suture. Scale bars: (A–G) = one mm (entire shells at same scale); H = 100 µm.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Melanella martarum. sp. nov.
(A) SCBUCN 8542, detail of protoconch, frontal view. (B–C). Paratype, SCBUCN 5482, detail of protoconch, frontal and apical views, respectively. Arrows in (A) and (B) indicate transition protoconch-teleoconch. Scale bars: (A–B) = 200 µm; C = 100 µm.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Melanella aciculata (Pease, 1861).
(A, B) Lectotype, NHMUK 1962839. (C–F) Paralectotypes, NHMUK 1962840A–D. (G, H) Paralectotype, MCZ 3170. (A, C–G). Frontal view. (B) Dorsal view. (H) Lateral view. Scale bar: (A–H) = one mm (shells at same scale). Credits: Images (A–F), courtesy of Andreia Salvador and photographic unit (NHMUK); (G, H): courtesy of Jennifer W. Trimble (MCZ).
Figure 4
Figure 4. Melanella martarum. sp. nov. in its holothurian host.
(A) Melanella martarum sp. nov. SCBUCN-5482 on its holothurian host. Scale bar: four mm. The white arrow shows M. martarum sp. nov attached to its holothurian host. (B) Screenshot of the camera DeepTow from SPG5 seamount. Scale bar: 10 cm. The white arrow shows the host on a sandy substrate.
Figure 5
Figure 5. RaxML inferred phylogenetic reconstruction.
Based on 1,363-bp alignment of partial 16S, COI and H3 concatenate sequences of Eulimidae (bootstrap = 1,000). Bootstrap values obtained are shown in each node. Vanikoro helicoidea (Vanikoridae) was used as an outgroup.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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