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Mehrotra R, McGrath T, McCabe T, Chankong A, Sangsawang L, Desmolles M, Monchanin C, Jualaong S, Putchakarn S. A cup half full: the first assessment on the distribution, ecology and need for conservation of the threatened Neptune's cup sponge, Cliona patera, in the Gulf of Thailand. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2023; 195:1475. [PMID: 37966584 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-023-12037-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023]
Abstract
The Neptune's cup sponge is an iconic species found in marine soft sediment habitats in the Indo-West Pacific, with a history of overharvesting and extreme population declines. Access to SCUBA diving surveys has allowed for its rediscovery at Singapore, its type locality; however, with fewer than ten living individuals documented in the twenty-first century, the species is believed to be in need of conservation. Here, we share the results from surveys across the Gulf of Thailand, allowing for a documentation of 29 additional individuals, with information on their ecology and distribution. Of the 29 individuals, extensive damage or mortality caused by marine debris is recorded for six individuals, and one further individual is believed to be lost due to an unknown cause. Documented threats from the Gulf of Thailand differ from those in Singapore; however, low population sizes and poor connectivity remain a significant concern for the survival of the species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rahul Mehrotra
- Aow Thai Marine Ecology Center, Love Wildlife Foundation, FREC Bangkok, 77 Nakhon Sawan Rd, Wat Sommanat, Pom Prap Sattru Phai, Bangkok, 10100, Thailand.
| | - Trent McGrath
- Thai Ocean Academy Koh Chang, 18/7 Bang Bao Plaza, Tambon Koh Chang Tai, Ko Chang District, Trat, 23170, Thailand
| | - Tim McCabe
- Thai Ocean Academy Bangkok, Room 2113 Floor 2, Gateway Ekamai 982/22 Sukhumvit Rd, Phrakanong, Khlong Toei, Bangkok, 10250, Thailand
| | - Anchalee Chankong
- Marine and Coastal Resources Research Center, Eastern Gulf of Thailand, 309 Moo 1, Paknam Prasae, Klaeng, Rayong, 21170, Thailand
| | - Laddawan Sangsawang
- Marine and Coastal Resources Research Center, Eastern Gulf of Thailand, 309 Moo 1, Paknam Prasae, Klaeng, Rayong, 21170, Thailand
| | - Matthias Desmolles
- Aow Thai Marine Ecology Center, Love Wildlife Foundation, FREC Bangkok, 77 Nakhon Sawan Rd, Wat Sommanat, Pom Prap Sattru Phai, Bangkok, 10100, Thailand
| | - Coline Monchanin
- Aow Thai Marine Ecology Center, Love Wildlife Foundation, FREC Bangkok, 77 Nakhon Sawan Rd, Wat Sommanat, Pom Prap Sattru Phai, Bangkok, 10100, Thailand
| | - Suthep Jualaong
- Marine and Coastal Resources Research Center, Eastern Gulf of Thailand, 309 Moo 1, Paknam Prasae, Klaeng, Rayong, 21170, Thailand
| | - Sumaitt Putchakarn
- Institute of Marine Science, Burapha University, 169 Longhaad Bangsaen Road, Saensuk, Mueang, Chonburi, 20131, Thailand
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Wei J, Kong L. Taxonomic review of Kaloplocamus from the Yellow Sea, China with the description of a new species (Nudibranchia, Doridina, Polyceridae). Zookeys 2023; 1168:107-129. [PMID: 37415715 PMCID: PMC10320717 DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1168.101248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Species of Kaloplocamus Bergh, 1880 are enigmatic Nudibranchia sea slugs, and only two valid species are reported in the northwestern Pacific. Kaloplocamusjaponicus (Bergh, 1880) was initially described based on alcohol-fixed specimens. In the latest revision of Kaloplocamus, it was synonymized with Kaloplocamusramosus (Cantraine, 1835). Recently, several nudibranchs were collected from Tianheng, Shandong Province, China, and one of them is identified as an undescribed species described here as Kaloplocamusalbopunctatussp. nov. based on integrated approaches incorporating morphological observations, internal anatomy, and phylogenetic analyses of two mitochondrial (COI, 16S rRNA) genes. The other species is identified as K.japonicus Bergh, 1880 based on the anatomy of the reproductive system. The new species K.albopunctatussp. nov. is similar to K.ramosus in having a bright orange-red color pattern but differs significantly in the structure of appendages and reproductive system. Kaloplocamusjaponicus can be easily distinguished from other Kaloplocamus species by its translucent, white-pink coloration and unique features of the female reproductive organ. Both species are supported as distinct species in all molecular analyses. The phylogenetic analyses propose a new estimate of the relationship between Kaloplocamus and Plocamopherus, and the evolution of bioluminescence within Triophinae is discussed. Our results also suggest cryptic biodiversity within the K.ramosus species complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingcheng Wei
- Key Laboratory of Mariculture, Ministry of Education, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China
| | - Lingfeng Kong
- Key Laboratory of Mariculture, Ministry of Education, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China
- Sanya Oceanographic Institution, Ocean University of China, Sanya 572000, China
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Mehrotra R, A Caballer Gutiérrez M, M Scott C, Arnold S, Monchanin C, Viyakarn V, Chavanich S. An updated inventory of sea slugs from Koh Tao, Thailand, with notes on their ecology and a dramatic biodiversity increase for Thai waters. Zookeys 2021; 1042:73-188. [PMID: 34163291 PMCID: PMC8208966 DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1042.64474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2021] [Accepted: 05/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Improved access to field survey infrastructure throughout South-East Asia has allowed for a greater intensity of biodiversity surveys than ever before. The rocky bottoms and coral reef habitats across the region have been shown to support some of the highest sea slug biodiversity on the planet, with ever increasing records. During the past ten years, intensive SCUBA surveys have been carried out at Koh Tao, in the Gulf of Thailand, which have yielded remarkable findings in sea slug biology and ecology. In this work a brief history of sea slug biodiversity research from Thailand is covered and a complete inventory of sea slugs from Koh Tao, Gulf of Thailand is provided. This inventory is based on surveys from 2012 to 2020, with previously unreported findings since 2016. Habitat specificity and species-specific ecology are reported where available with a focused comparison of coral reef habitats and deeper soft-sediment habitats. The findings contribute 90 new species records for Thai waters (92 for the Gulf of Thailand) and report a remarkable consistency in the proportional diversity found to be exclusive to one habitat type or another. Additionally, taxonomic remarks are provided for species documented from Koh Tao that have not been discussed in past literature from Thailand, and a summary of previous records in the Indo-West Pacific is given.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rahul Mehrotra
- Reef Biology Research Group. Department of Marine Science, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand.,Aow Thai Marine Ecology Center, Koh Mun Nai, Kram, Klaeng District, Rayong 21110, Thailand
| | - Manuel A Caballer Gutiérrez
- American University of Paris, Department of Computer Science Math and Environmental Science, 6 rue du Colonel Combes, 75007 Paris, France.,Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, 55 rue de Buffon, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Chad M Scott
- Conservation Diver. 7321 Timber Trail Road, Evergreen, Colorado, 80439, USA
| | - Spencer Arnold
- Conservation Diver. 7321 Timber Trail Road, Evergreen, Colorado, 80439, USA
| | - Coline Monchanin
- Aow Thai Marine Ecology Center, Koh Mun Nai, Kram, Klaeng District, Rayong 21110, Thailand.,Research Center on Animal Cognition (CRCA), Center for Integrative Biology (CBI); CNRS, University Paul Sabatier,Toulouse III, France
| | - Voranop Viyakarn
- Reef Biology Research Group. Department of Marine Science, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
| | - Suchana Chavanich
- Reef Biology Research Group. Department of Marine Science, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand.,Center of Excellence for Marine Biotechnology, Department of Marine Science, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
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