Document of bibliographic reference 331191

BibliographicReference record

Type

Bibliographic resource

Type of document

Journal article

BibLvlCode

AS

Title

Genetic and cytological divergence between colour morphs of the Mediterranean sponge Oscarella lobularis Schmidt (Porifera, Demospongiae, Oscarellidae)

Abstract

The demosponge Oscarella lobularis (Schmidt, 1862) has been reported from various localities throughout the world and is abundant in many areas. It is considered to be morphologically very variable, and morphs of different colour or texture can be found living sympatrically. Samples of a soft violet morph and of cartilaginous blue, yellow and green morphs were collected from the Mediterranean Sea, near Marseilles. The genetic divergence of the four morphs was estimated by enzyme electrophoresis, and cytological differences were studied using light and transmission electron microscopy. The cartilaginous morphs were genetically practically identical, but the soft violet morph was diagnostically different from the sympatric samples of the blue and green morphs and from the allopatric yellow morph at most of the genetic loci studied (genetic identity, I ≈ 0·25). The high genetic divergence was associated with consistent differences in morphology and cytology between the violet morph and the other colour morphs. This is considered to justify a specific distinction. It is concluded that the name Oscarella lobularis (Schmidt, 1862) should be applied to the soft violet morph only, whilst the other, cartilaginous colour morphs are referred to Oscarella tuberculata (Schmidt, 1868).

WebOfScience code

https://www.webofscience.com/wos/woscc/full-record/WOS:A1992HY33800001

Bibliographic citation

Boury-Esnault, N.; Sole-Cava, A.M.; Thorpe, J.P. (1992). Genetic and cytological divergence between colour morphs of the Mediterranean sponge Oscarella lobularis Schmidt (Porifera, Demospongiae, Oscarellidae). J. Nat. Hist. 26(2): 271-284. https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00222939200770131

Topic

Marine

Is peer reviewed

true