High connectivity and lack of mtDNA differentiation among two previously recognized spiny lobster species in the southern Atlantic and Indian Oceans

A groundbreaking genetic analysis reveals that two previously recognized spiny lobster species, Jasus paulensis and J. tristani, are genetically indistinguishable across thousands of kilometers in the southern Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Contrary to expectations, the study found no significant population differentiation between sites separated by vast distances, suggesting high connectivity and gene flow among these long-lived, drifting larvae-dependent species. Phylogenetic analyses confirmed that all sampled individuals formed a monophyletic group, distinct from other Jasus species, while demographic expansion was estimated to have occurred between 14,000 and 118,000 years ago. These findings imply the absence of barriers to dispersal in these remote oceanic habitats and propose that J. paulensis and J. tristani should be synonymized as a single species, J. paulensis.

Groeneveld, J. C., Von der Heyden, S., & Matthee, C. A. (2012). High connectivity and lack of mtDNA differentiation among two previously recognized spiny lobster species in the southern Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Marine Biology Research, 8(8), 764–770. https://doi.org/10.1080/17451000.2012.676185