Morphological and Molecular Identification of <i>Porpita porpita</i> (Hydrozoa: Porpitidae) Larval and Colonial Phases
Jeimy Denisse Santiago-Valentín | Eric Bautista-Guerrero | Alma Paola Rodríguez-Troncoso | María del Carmen Franco-Gordo | Mauricio Alejandro Razo-López | Enrique Godínez-Domínguez
<i>Porpita porpita</i> is a colonial polymorphic hydrozoan distributed in temperate and tropical zones. This species, like most hydrozoans, possesses a metagenetic life cycle with alternating life forms: medusa stage, polypoid colony, and planula larva. However, a characterization of its early stages of development is still lacking. For this study, an integrative description of the larval stages and the hydroid colony was performed using molecular and histologic tools. The results show that <i>P. porpita</i> develops through three larval stages: preplanula, planula, and premetamorphic planula. The preplanula is distinguished by an absence of polarity, the planula by differentiation of the oral–aboral poles, and the premetamorphic stage by cellular differentiation. Furthermore, two morphologies of young hydroids with different developmental patterns of gonozooids and dactylozooids were observed; notably, it was not possible to observe the gastrozooid in either. Taxonomic identification was confirmed using mitochondrial (COI) and ribosomal (18S and 28S) markers. Our analysis indicates that the COI gene exhibits higher intraspecific variability compared to the 18s and 28s rDNA ribosomal genes. The presented results support the future identification of <i>P. porpita</i> based on morphological characteristics, regardless of the stage of development. Specifically, they shed light on the diversity of mesozooplankton in reef communities.
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