Meeting Abstract

121.3  Monday, Jan. 7  Resolving the genus Philine: Description and phylogenetic placement of six previously undocumented species (Gastropoda: Opisthobranchia) GONZALES, C.M.*; GOSLINER, T.M.; Duke University; California Academy of Sciences cgonzales@calacademy.org

Species of the genus Philine, one of the most species-rich genera of opisthobranchs, are predatory sea slugs who use their ability to secrete poisonous toxins to avoid being eaten by other organisms. Furthermore, they have few natural enemies, allowing them to be found anywhere from intertidal mudflats to deep sea bottoms in oceans all around the globe. Recently, the California of Sciences embarked on the 2011 Hearst Expedition to the Philippines. During the expedition, many Philine specimens were collected that were catalogued as unidentified species. This project analyzed the genus Philine, using molecular and morphological approaches to determine the number of new species found on the expedition. Each specimen was illustrated and carefully dissected. Then, key anatomical features were documented further through the use of a compound microscopy imaging system and Scanning Electron Microscopy, to obtain resolution images. In addition, DNA sequencing was conducted on the CO1, H3, and 16S genes of our specimens. These data were then edited and evaluated to yield a current phylogenetic tree of the known species of Philine that includes these recent discoveries. After finding some undigested food in the gizzard of a Philine individual and genetically sequencing the CO1 gene of this matter, we were able to compare it with certain bivalves of the family Mytilidae and determine if this family could be part of the Philine diet. From these studies, we have determined that the collection examined from the Philippines contains six undescribed species. Each has a unique set of morphological characters that distinguish them from their closest relatives and are representatives of at least three different lineages, based on molecular data.