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Publication
Lipkea ruspoliana Vogt, 1886 (Cnidaria: Staurozoa) in Portugal: the contribution of citizen science to range extension and taxonomic discussion of rare species
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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
Citizen science online platforms are
increasingly making important sources of biological
information available at the click of a button, allowing the interaction of volunteers and scientists to
report and identify the world’s diversity. In this work,
we combined the data available in citizen science
platforms (iNaturalist and GelAvista) and the efort
and collaboration of a diverse team of scuba-divers,· scientists, and underwater photographers to report for
the frst time the presence of the stauromedusa Lipkea (Cnidaria: Staurozoa) in Portugal. Based on DNA
(COI and 16S), we identifed the species as Lipkea
ruspoliana. However, the marginal lappets of some
Portuguese specimens are similar to those of Lipkea
sturdzii, a species described based on a single specimen in 1893 and never reported again. These results
suggest that L. sturdzii is a synonym of L. ruspoliana, although further taxon and habitat sampling
for genetic studies and investigations of intraspecifc
morphological variation are necessary. In addition,
we provided data on species ecology, reviewed the
records of Staurozoa from Portugal, and mapped the
world geographic distribution of Lipkea. Staurozoa is
a cryptic group of cnidarians, and Lipkea seems to be
a particularly rare genus. Citizen science has proved
to be a valuable contribution to studies on the group,
enabling biological discussions that otherwise would
be more challenging. · ·
Description
Keywords
Stauromedusae Lipkeidae Stalked jellyfsh Distribution Diversity
Citation
Miranda, L. S., Tavares, S., Serrão, E. A., Coelho, M. A. G., dos Santos, A., & Gonçalves, E. J. (2024). L ipkea ruspoliana Vogt, 1886 (Cnidaria: Staurozoa) in Portugal: the contribution of citizen science to range extension and taxonomic discussion of rare species. Aquatic Ecology, 58(1), 31–45. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10452-023-10070-6
Publisher
Springer Netherlands