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Diversity and evolution in the zoanthid genus Palythoa (Cnidaria: Hexacorallia) based on nuclear ITS-rDNA

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Abstract

Previous phylogenetic studies based on mitochondrial DNA markers have suggested that the zoanthid genus Palythoa may consist of both Palythoa species (Palythoa tuberculosa) and species formerly assigned to the genus Protopalythoa (Palythoa mutuki, Palythoa heliodiscus). In the present study various Palythoa spp. samples collected primarily from southern Japan with additional samples from the Indo-Pacific and Caribbean Sea were examined. The nuclear internal transcribed spacer of ribosomal DNA (ITS-rDNA) was sequenced and aligned for phylogenetic analyses to further investigate the relationship between P. tuberculosa, P. mutuki, and P. heliodiscus. ITS-rDNA analyses showed species groups forming monophylies with similar topology but with much higher resolution than seen for mitochondrial phylogenetic analyses. The results also confirmed the very close relationship of P. tuberculosa and P. mutuki. Some specimens appeared to be a potentially undescribed Palythoa species (designated Palythoa sp. sakurajimensis). Additionally, ITS-rDNA sequences of P. mutuki and P. tuberculosa showed additive polymorphic site, demonstrating for the first time a potential history of reticulate evolution in Palythoa.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank the following people for their support and help throughout the course of this study. Dr. Junzo Tsukahara (Kagoshima University) for his continuing support of zoanthid research; John Byron, Ryan Cox, Dr. Yasuo Furushima (JAMSTEC), Shin Hisashi, Yuichi Nagata, Hideo Noda, Denny Probizanski, Mika Reimer, Kei Sasahara, and Yuki Wada for their help in collecting samples in Japan; Dr. Hironobu Fukami (Kyoto University) for his advice on the nature of the ITS-rDNA region; Omer Polak (Interuniversity for Marine Science, Eilat, Israel) for kindly providing samples from Eilat; Frederic Sinniger (University of Geneva) for productive discussions, comments on this article, and samples from Honduras and Madagascar; and Masoru Kawato and Hirokazu Kuwahara for help with sequencing at JAMSTEC. JDR was supported at JAMSTEC by a Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Post-doctoral fellowship (#P04868). Dr. Dhugal Lindsay (JAMSTEC) helped with English editing. Fumihito Iwase (BIK) gave us invaluable advice on scientific nomenclature. Three anonymous reviewers greatly improved the quality of this manuscript.

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  1. J. D. Reimer

    Present address: Biological Institute on Kuroshio, 560 Nishidomari, Otsuki, Kochi, 788-0333, Japan

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Program for Marine Biology and Ecology, Extremobiosphere Research Center, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), 2-15 Natsushima, Yokosuka, Kanagawa, 237-0061, Japan

    J. D. Reimer, K. Takishita & T. Maruyama

  2. Miyakonojo Higashi High School, Mimata, Miyazaki, 889-1996, Japan

    S. Ono

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  1. J. D. Reimer
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  2. K. Takishita
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  3. S. Ono
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  4. T. Maruyama
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Correspondence to J. D. Reimer.

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Communicated by Biology Editor M. van Oppen.

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Reimer, J.D., Takishita, K., Ono, S. et al. Diversity and evolution in the zoanthid genus Palythoa (Cnidaria: Hexacorallia) based on nuclear ITS-rDNA. Coral Reefs 26, 399–410 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-007-0210-5

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