Volumen 46 - Número 1: 89-94 | 2011
Research Note

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Genetic identification of benthic polychaetes in a biodiversity hotspot in the southeast Pacific

Cristian B. Canales-Aguirre^1,2*, Nicolás Rozbaczylo³ and Cristián E. Hernández¹

¹Laboratorio de Diversidad Molecular y Filoinformática, Departamento de Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Oceanográficas, Universidad de Concepción, Casilla 160-C, Concepción, Chile
²Laboratorio de Genética y Acuicultura, Departamento de Oceanografía, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Oceanográficas, Universidad de Concepción, Casilla 160-C, Concepción, Chile
³Departamento de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile

*This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the utility of COI, of the mitochondrial DNA, for the taxonomic determination of soft-bottom benthic polychaetes in the Chiloé Inner Sea as a particularly important zone for polychaete fauna of the southeast Pacific. The results show high genetic differentiation between morphological species of polychaetes (posterior probabilities upper 0.9), and Onuphis pseudoiridescens showed the greatest divergence (3.08 ± 0.08 S.D.). The results support the role of the COI gene as a useful molecular marker for fast and accurate taxonomic determination of benthic polychaetes. This study leads the way for research on the biodiversity and systematics of polychaetes off the Chilean coast using molecular phylogenetic criteria. 

Key words: Genetic barcode, biodiversity, molecular taxonomy, phylogenetic systematic

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