Platichthys solemdali sp. nov. (Actinopterygii, Pleuronectiformes): a new flounder species from the Baltic Sea

The European flounders Platichthys flesus (Linnaeus, 1758) displays two contrasting reproductive behaviors in the Baltic Sea: offshore spawning of pelagic eggs and coastal spawning of demersal eggs, a behavior observed exclusively in the Baltic Sea. Previous studies showed marked differences in behavioral, physiological, and life-history traits of flounders with pelagic and demersal eggs. Furthermore, a recent study demonstrated that flounders with pelagic and demersal eggs represent two reproductively isolated, parapatric species arising from two distinct colonization events from the same ancestral population. Using morphological data we first established that the syntypes on which the original description of P. flesus was based belong the pelagic-spawning lineage. We then used a combination of morphological and physiological characters as well as genome-wide genetic data to describe flounders with demersal eggs as a new species: Platichthys solemdali sp. nov. The new species can be cl...欧洲川鲽（Platichthys flesus，Linnaeus, 1758）在波罗的海展现出两种截然不同的生殖行为：产浮性卵（pelagic eggs）的远洋产卵模式与产沉性卵（demersal eggs）的近岸产卵模式，该生殖行为仅在波罗的海被观测到。既往研究显示，产浮性卵与产沉性卵的川鲽在行为、生理及生活史特征上存在显著差异。此外，近期一项研究证实，产浮性卵与产沉性卵的川鲽属于两个生殖隔离的邻域种（parapatric species），二者均由同一祖先种群通过两次独立的定殖事件演化而来。本研究首先利用形态学数据确认，最初用于正式描述P. flesus的合模标本（syntypes）隶属于产浮性卵的类群。随后，本研究结合形态学、生理学特征以及全基因组遗传数据，将产沉性卵的川鲽描述为一个新物种：Platichthys solemdali sp. nov.。该新物种可被cl...