Sertić Kovačević M et al. (2023), Barcoding (COI) Sea Cucumber Holothuria mammata...

ECB-ART-52702

Genes (Basel) 2023 Nov 09;1411:. doi: 10.3390/genes14112059.

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Barcoding (COI) Sea Cucumber Holothuria mammata Distribution Analysis: Adriatic Rare or Common Species?

Sertić Kovačević M , Baričević A , Kružić P , Maurić Maljković M , Hamer B .

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The overexploitation of the western Pacific Ocean has expanded the sea cucumber fishery into new regions to supply the Asian market. In 2013, sea cucumbers were removed from the Croatian marine protected species list, and commercial fishery took place for a short period (2017-2018) in the Eastern Adriatic Sea. However, holothuroid species are difficult to distinguish. Holothuria mammata is a species that has rarely been reported in this region and strongly resembles the common species Holothuria tubulosa. This is the first study to assess the genetic diversity of sea cucumbers in the Adriatic Sea using genetic barcoding of the mitochondrial gene cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI). Specimens for barcoding were collected from the northern and central Adriatic, along with a specimen that had been previously identified as H. sp. cf. mammata based on its morphological characteristics. While genetic analyses showed identified this specimen as H. tubulosa, 30% of the collected specimens were genetically identified as H. mammata. These results call into question the historically accepted sea cucumber assemblage in the Adriatic Sea, which regarded H. mammata as a rare species and generally disregarded its presence in large census studies. Such species distribution data are extremely important in developing and monitoring a sustainable fishery.

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References [+] :

Borrero-Pérez, Molecular systematics of the genus Holothuria in the Mediterranean and Northeastern Atlantic and a molecular clock for the diversification of the Holothuriidae (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea). 2010, Pubmed, Echinobase

	Figure 1. Specimen collected in 1997 and identified as Holothuria sp. cf. mammata, based on exterior morphology. The specimen is stored in the Ruđer Bošković Institute collection (Cat. No. CMRR 2290) [12]. The specimen’s light colouration is likely due to long-term storage in ethanol. In this study, the specimen is referred to as Z Mljet (ZM1).
	Figure 2. Phylogenetic tree (maximum likelihood), unrooted, based on partial sequences of the COI gene obtained from this study and the NCBI GenBank. The analysed specimens from the Holothuria tubulosa morphospecies group divide into two distinct groups/species. NCBI GenBank accession numbers for all the sequences used are available in Table S1. The nodes for species other than H. tubulosa and H. mammata were collapsed for a clearer view of H. tubulosa’s and H. mammata’s distribution. The full tree, without collapsed nodes, is presented in Figure S1. Collapsed nodes are as follows: H. arguinensis Spain 1, 3, 4, 7–9, 11, 12, 14–16, 19–21, 23–33, Hap15, Hap18; H. polii Spain 1, H. polii Mexico, H. polii Italy, Hap11; H. kefersteini Mexico 1, 5, Hap19; H. forskali Spain 1, 2, H. forskali Germany, H. forskali RO1.
	Figure 3. Ratio of sea cucumber specimens belonging to Group 1 (Holothuria mammata) and Group 2 (Holothuria tubulosa) at each collection site. All 6 analysed individuals at Lim Bay (LB) belonged to the species H. mammata, while only H. tubulosa was found at Rovinj (RO) and Cres–Nerezine (CN). Both species were present at Ičići (IC), Novi Vinodolski (NV), and Biograd (BI).