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Sibling species in the marine pollution indicator genusPontonemaLeidy (Nematoda: Oncholaimidae), with a description ofP. mediterraneasp. nov
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Sibling species in the marine pollution indicator genusPontonemaLeidy (Nematoda: Oncholaimidae), with a description ofP. mediterraneasp. nov

R.M. Warwick and J. Robinson
Journal of Natural History, Vol.34(5), pp.641-662
2000
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Abstract

Species of the marine nematode genus Pontonema have been found to dominate the macrobenthos under abnormally high conditions of particulate organic enrichment. Populations from organically enriched habitats in six localities (Kiel fjord, Germany; the Garroch Head sewage-sludge dump ground in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland; Cornelian Bay, N.E. England; the Tyne estuary, N.E. England; Sete, N.W. Mediterranean, France; Blanes Bay, N.W. Mediterranean, Spain) have been compared. Multivariate analyses of 16 morphometric characters in males, and 13 in females, shows that each population is significantly different morphologically from every other population. However, there is morphological overlap between the populations, and it is considered pragmatic to recognize three species in this group, based on a few stable morphological characters: P. vulgare (Bastian, 1865) from the Baltic, P. alaeospicula Bett and Moore 1988 from the UK sites, and P. mediterranea sp. nov. from the Mediterranean. P. mediterranea sp. nov. is described. The species were not found to have established sympatry in this study, unlike many other opportunistic taxa from organically enriched habitats, and the significance of this is discussed.

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#14 Life Below Water

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Citation topics
3 Agriculture, Environment & Ecology
3.2 Marine Biology
3.2.605 Benthic Biodiversity
Web Of Science research areas
Biodiversity Conservation
Ecology
Zoology
ESI research areas
Environment/Ecology
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