Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
8848350 | European Journal of Soil Biology | 2018 | 7 Pages |
Abstract
The European montane earthworm species Eisenia lucens (Waga, 1857) and the Central European Eisenia spelaea (Rosa, 1901) are highly similar morphologically, the only remarkable difference is in the presence of bioluminescence in case of E. lucens. Because of the difficulties in distinguishing the two species, majority of the distribution data is uncertain, and the minimal morphological differences do not necessarily justify the separation of E. spelaea as an independent species. To clarify the taxonomy of the E. spelaea/E. lucens species pair, a molecular phylogenetic analysis was carried out with the use of cytochrome c oxidase I sequences. Our results showed high genetic separation between the two species which confirms the validity of E. spelaea. Moreover, two highly divergent cryptic clades were revealed within E. lucens.
Related Topics
Life Sciences
Agricultural and Biological Sciences
Soil Science
Authors
TÃmea Szederjesi, Tamás Felföldi, Virág KrÃzsik, Victor V. Pop, Csaba Csuzdi,