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COI mtDNA barcoding and morphology for the description of a new species of ricinuleid of the genus Pseudocellus (Arachnida: Ricinulei: Ricinoididae) from El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve, Chiapas, Mexico

Alejandro VALDEZ-MONDRAGÓN & Mayra R. CORTEZ-ROLDÁN

en European Journal of Taxonomy 778 (1) - Pages 1-25

Published on 29 October 2021

A new species of epigean ricinuleid of the genus Pseudocellus Platnick, 1980 from El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve, Chiapas, Mexico is described. DNA barcoding utilizing mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (CO1) and morphology were used for species delimitation. Molecular analyses and species delimitation included four methods: 1) General Mixed Yule Coalescent model (GMYC), 2) Automatic Barcode Gap Discovery (ABGD), 3) Bayesian Poisson Tree Process (bPTP), and 4) Assemble Species by Automatic Partitioning (ASAP). All molecular methods and morphology were consistent in delimiting and recognizing the new species described herein. The average interspecific genetic distance (p-distance) among analyzed species of Pseudocellus was 11.6%. The species is described based on adult males and females: Pseudocellus giribeti sp. nov. This is the seventh species described from Chiapas, which holds the highest number of ricinuleids species for the country. The total number of described species of Pseudocellus from Mexico increases to 21, having the highest species diversity of known ricinuleids worldwide.


Keywords:

Molecular markers, integrative taxonomy, species delimitation methods, Neotropic, Neoricinulei

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