Discovery of Novel Lineages in Corallidae (Octocorallia: Alcyonacea): Implications for Improved Fisheries Resource Management

Precious corals belonging to Coralliidae in Japan are found at depths of 100-300 m, and genetic boundaries of species are not well studied despite their high value as jewelry resources, and their sustainable use is important. In this study, we performed a gross morphological observations and phylogenomic analysis of Coralliidae sp.1, which has been harvested for commercial purpose but whose gross morphology looks differ from other precious coral species (C. japonicum, P. konojoi and P. elatius). The results of the phylogenetic analysis using 4,326 SNPs obtained by MIG-seq suggested that Coralliidae sp.1 is genetically distinct from the other precious coral species (C. japonicum, P. konojoi and P. elatius). Unexpectedly, we also found the presence of cryptic lineages in samples classified as P. konojoi based on gross morphology.