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A new cave-dwelling genus and species of Nerillidae (Annelida) from the Ryukyu Islands, Japan

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Abstract

A new genus and species of Nerillidae, Nipponerilla irabuensis gen. nov., sp. nov., is described from an anchialine cave in Shimoji Island, west of Irabu Island (Miyako Islands, Southwestern Japan). Its morphology was examined with light, scanning electron, and confocal laser scanning microscopy. This new species, along with two putative new cave species from the Turks and Caicos Islands and several closely related nerillids, was included in a phylogenetic analysis employing five concatenated gene markers (16S rRNA, 18S rRNA, 28S rRNA, H3, and COI). Nipponerilla irabuensis gen. nov., sp. nov. was found to be sister taxon to the cave-exclusive genus Speleonerilla Worsaae, Sterrer & Iliffe, in Worsaae et al., 2019, but shows morphological resemblance to both Speleonerilla and Mesonerilla Remane, 1949. Thus, Nipponerilla gen. nov. constitutes a new monotypic genus in Nerillidae diagnosed by a combination of the following characters: nine segments, compound chaetae, high palp and antennae to body length ratios, and gonochoristic reproduction with two pairs of spermioducts opening in segments VII and VIII. Its placement among Nerillidae is discussed, along with its putative adaptations to an anchialine environment.

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Acknowledgements

We are greatly indebted to several people who assisted us with the logistics during the sampling trips to Japan and the Turks and Caicos Islands including Masaru Mizuyama for his assistance in sampling at Irabu Island in 2018 and Marc C. Allentoft-Larsen for his help with sampling in Conch Bar Cave in 2019. Special thanks to the Department of Environment and Coastal Resources (DECR) Ministry of Tourism, Environment, Heritage, Culture & Gaming, Michael Pateman, Mark Parrish, Naqqi Manco, and Jon Ward for their willingness to grant collection and export permits (SRP No.: 18-12-01-23) to our team and provide onsite logistical support. We thank the editors and two anonymous reviewers for their comments which helped improve the paper.

Funding

Field and laboratory work during the expedition to Southern Japan in 2018 was financially supported by grants from the Scandinavia-Japan Sasakawa Foundation and Ragna Rask-Nielsens Grundforskningsfond to KW and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (grant no. S18162) to NM and KW, and partly supported by JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (S) (No. 16H06309) and (B) (No. 20H03313) to YF. Material obtained from the Turks and Caicos Islands is based on work supported by the Smithsonian’s Global Genome Initiative under Grant No.: GGI-2019-Rolling-214 to KO and the Peter Buck Fellowship Program to BCG. Confocal microscopy work was supported by the Carlsberg Foundation (grant # CF15-0946 to KW).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Marine Biological Section, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 4, 2100-DK, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Katrine Worsaae, Malte J. Hansen, Oscar Axelsen & Brett C. Gonzalez

  2. Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 060-0810, Japan

    Keiichi Kakui

  3. Natural History Museum Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, 2200-DK, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Peter R. Møller

  4. Norwegian School of Fisheries, UiT Norwegian Arctic University, Tromsø, Norway

    Peter R. Møller

  5. Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC, USA

    Karen J. Osborn & Brett C. Gonzalez

  6. Molecular Ecology Group, Water Research Institute, National Research Council of Italy, Largo Tonolli 50, 28922, Verbania, Italy

    Alejandro Martínez

  7. X-STAR, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, 2-15 Natsushima-cho, Yokosuka, Kanagawa, 237-0061, Japan

    Norio Miyamoto

  8. Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts, 1-4 Shuri-Tounokura, Naha, Okinawa, 903-8602, Japan

    Yoshihisa Fujita

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  1. Katrine Worsaae
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  2. Malte J. Hansen
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  10. Yoshihisa Fujita
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Katrine Worsaae.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare no competing interests.

Ethical approval

All applicable international, national, and/or institutional guidelines for animal testing, animal care, and use of animals were followed by the authors.

Sampling and field studies

All necessary permits for sampling and observational field studies have been obtained by the authors from the competent authorities and are mentioned in the acknowledgements, if applicable. The study is compliant with CBD and Nagoya protocols.

Data availability

All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article (and its supplementary information files).

Author contribution

KK, KW, PRM, and YF collected the specimens from Miyako islands group, Japan, where YF was the main facilitator and organizer of the fieldwork, further supported by NM. AM, BCG, KO, and KW sampled, sorted, and fixed the specimens from the Turks and Caicos. Preparation for and imaging with light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and confocal scanning microscopy were performed by KW and OA, along with morphological measurements and interpretation thereof. DNA extraction and phylogenetic analyses were done by MJH in collaboration with AM, BCG, and KW. KW designed the study and content, with analyses, formulation, and structure of the manuscript primarily facilitated by MJH, KW, and OA. KW and MJH wrote the manuscript. All authors have read and commented upon the manuscript.

Additional information

Communicated by D. Fiege

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Worsaae, K., Hansen, M.J., Axelsen, O. et al. A new cave-dwelling genus and species of Nerillidae (Annelida) from the Ryukyu Islands, Japan. Mar. Biodivers. 51, 67 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12526-021-01199-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12526-021-01199-4

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