Uncovering Cryptic Coral Species in Japanese Precious Coral Fishery

In this study, we identified an unknown coral species, Pleurocorallium sp. 1, that was collected together with three major species commonly harvested in Japan. Phylogenetic analysis based on three mitochondrial regions showed that P. sp. 1 forms a monophyletic group with P. secundum, which is primarily distributed in Hawaii. In contrast, a phylogenetic tree based on 4,077 SNPs from Multiplexed ISSR Genotyping by sequencing revealed that P. sp. 1 forms a clade distinct from P. secundum, suggesting that it may represent an undescribed species. Surprisingly, our analysis also uncovered a novel cryptic lineage among samples identified using gross morphology, as P. konojoi called Pleurocorallium sp. 2.