An integrative taxonomic approach reveals unexplored diversity in Croatian planarians

作者：Miquel Vila‐Farré, Jeremias N. Brand, Tobias Boothe, Maren Brockmeyer, Fruzsina Ficze-Schmidt, Markus A. Grohme, Uri Weill, Kasper H. Kluiver, Ludwik Gąsiorowski, Lucija Kauf, Yuliia Kanana, Helena Bilandžija, Marta Riutort, Jochen C. Rink · 发表于：bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1101/2025.04.10.648211 · 被引用次数：2 · 研究领域：Planarian Biology and Electrostimulation、Marine Ecology and Invasive Species、Plant and Biological Electrophysiology Studies

Abstract Background Freshwater ecosystems are among the most endangered habitats on Earth, with approximately one-fourth of aquatic species at risk of extinction. Effective conservation efforts require comprehensive monitoring and accurate species identification, including often overlooked groups. DNA barcoding promises rapid and accessible species identification but requires the availability of “universal” primer pairs and robust, taxonomically curated reference libraries. Planarian flatworms are one such group for which these resources are currently lacking, even though they are common constituents of freshwater ecosystems worldwide. As a result, the true extent of planarian diversity remains underappreciated in many areas. Results Motivated by the highly skewed representation of planarian diversity in current GenBank records of the barcoding gene mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI), we optimised existing barcoding primers and tested them on planarians collected in a species-rich but, so far, poorly surveyed region of Croatia. Using an integrative approach combining the new primers, traditional taxonomy and karyology, we generated new taxonomically curated COI barcode sequences for European dugesiids, dendrocoelids and planariids, which, in the case of the latter two groups, represent a substantial increase of the number of entries for those families. Our efforts resulted in several significant findings, including the description of a new pigmented Dendrocoel...