A sad tale: has the small mussel Idas argenteus lost its symbionts?. (30th December 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Rodrigues, Clara F.; Laming, Sven R.; Gaudron, Sylvie M.; Oliver, Graham; Le Bris, Nadine; Duperron, Sébastien
• Is Part Of: Biological journal of the Linnean Society. Volume 114:Number 2(2015:Feb.)
• Page Start: 398
• Page End: 405
• Publication Date: 2014-12-30
• Subjects: Biology -- Periodicals; Evolution (Biology) -- Periodicals; 570
• DOI: 10.1111/bij.12431
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0024-4066

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main"> <title> <x xml:space="preserve">Abstract</x> </title> <p> <italic>Idas argenteus</italic> (Bivalvia: Mytilidae) belongs to a genus of mussels that are often associated with sunken wood and vertebrate bones in the deep sea. By contrast to other species currently included within the genus <italic>Idas</italic> and other related genera, such as <italic>Bathymodiolus</italic>, <italic>I. argenteus</italic> was documented to lack chemosynthetic symbionts bacterial symbionts in its gills. In the present study, new specimens are assigned to <italic>I. argenteus</italic> based on shell and soft parts analysis. Molecular data confirm the absence or low abundance of symbionts. Phylogeny based on five genes indicates that the symbiont‐bearing <italic>I. washingtonius</italic> is the closest relative of <italic>I. argenteus</italic>. Symbiosis loss or extreme reduction is thus inferred to have occurred subsequent to the speciation event, 11–13 Mya. This is the first report of a loss of symbiosis within the clade of deep‐sea chemosynthetic mussels. © 2014 The Linnean Society of London, <italic>Biological Journal of the Linnean Society</italic>, 2015, <bold>114</bold>, 398–405.</p> </abstract>