Global barcoding of the deep-sea snail genus <i>Phymorhynchus</i> reveals surprising distribution ranges and genetic diversity
For rare fauna inhabiting insular habitats, specimens from geographically distant locations are often assumed to be distinct species without a detailed assessment of their genetic diversity. The raphitomid snail genus Phymorhynchus includes a species complex considered endemic to deep-sea hot vents and cold seeps. Despite small morphological differences, existing species hypotheses largely relied on geographic distance to support separation. Here, we present a molecular barcoding study for this complex with a total of 180 specimens sampled across the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. Our delimitation analyses identified six distinct species supported by morphology, notably egg-capsule characters. They have broader distributions than previously realized, with P. starmeri ranging across the Indo-West Pacific and P. moskalevi apparently cosmopolitan, both showing complex genetic subgroupings. These species are probably also distributed outside vents and seeps, supported by several ambient records. Our results challenge the assumption of fine-scale geographic separation in species inhabiting deep-water insular habitats.
Authors
- Mouyingke Zhang
- Camille Poitrimol (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0878-1855)
- Min Wu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5434-5544)
- Jon Copley (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3333-4325)
- Ruiyan Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8556-8145)
- Chong Chen
- Yadong Zhou
- Joan Manel Alfaro-Lucas
- Hiromi Kayama Watanabe
Institutions
- Nanjing Agricultural University (CN)
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JP)
- Nanjing Tech University (CN)
- Texas A&M University-Victoria (US)
- University of Victoria (CA)
- Sorbonne Université (FR)
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou) (CN)
- Second Institute of Oceanography (CN)
- Victoria University (UG)
- University of Southampton (GB)
- Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (FR)
- Victoria University (AU)
- Nanjing University (CN)
- University of Plymouth (GB)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Biology Letters
- Published
- 2026-04-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2025.0685
- Primary Topic
- Marine Biology and Ecology Research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- University of Washington
- University of Victoria
- Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer
- Schmidt Ocean Institute
- Flotte Océanographique Française
- Agence Nationale de la Recherche
- Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
- Natural Environment Research Council
- Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology
- National Key Research and Development Program of China
- NOAA Ocean Exploration