Affiliation:
1. Department of Ecology and Hydrology, and Regional Campus of International Excellence “Mare Nostrum”, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain
Abstract
The genus Aurelia is one of the most extensively studied within the class Scyphozoa. However, much of the research was historically attributed to the species Aurelia aurita (Linnaeus, 1758) before the recognition of its taxonomic complexity. Initially considered cosmopolitan and globally distributed, recent phylogenetic analysis has challenged this assumption. Consequently, the current distribution of species within the genus Aurelia and the processes that led to this distribution remain largely unexplored. After genetically confirming that the species traditionally present in the Mar Menor coastal lagoon in the southwestern Mediterranean corresponds to A. solida, we compiled data on the locations where moon jellyfish species have been genetically identified and mapped these coordinates to the geological period when the genus Aurelia diverged from other scyphozoan genera. We propose two hypotheses to explain the disjunct distribution of certain species. The first one assumes recent human-mediated introductions, while the second posits an absence of introductions. Both hypotheses, supported by fossil and historical records, suggest a Paleo-Tethys origin of the genus Aurelia. Migration from this area explains most of the genus’s current distribution without human intervention, being the Mediterranean Sea, where A. solida should be considered autochthonous, part of their natural distribution range.
Funder
General Directorate of the Mar Menor of the Community of the Region of Murcia
Fundación Séneca, Región de Murcia
Subject
Nature and Landscape Conservation,Agricultural and Biological Sciences (miscellaneous),Ecological Modeling,Ecology
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