Biodiversity and chemical ecology of selected gastropods from Iran, Persian Gulf

Abstract

Marine gastropods exhibit unique adaptations to marine environments have become a subject of interest in evolutionary biology. This study unveils <em>Peronia persiae</em> Maniei, Espeland, Mohavedi & Wägele, 2020, a new species of genus <em>Peronia</em> discovered in the Persian Gulf, characterized by challenging environmental conditions such as high salinity and temperature. Molecular, anatomical and histological analyses confirmed the species distinction, employing 16S rDNA, COI sequences, and various methods. <br /> To explore chemical diversity within <em>Peronia</em> genus, 12 <em>P. persiae</em> individuals and a <em>P. verruculata</em> (Cuvier, 1830) specimen from Indonesia underwent phylogenetic and Metabolomic analysis using tandem mass spectrometry-based GNPS molecular networking unveiled a wide range of chemical diversity, with shared features between <em>P. persiae</em> specimens and <em>P. verruculata</em>, including polypropionate esters and amino acid-betaine compounds. <em>P. persiae</em> exclusively contained isoflavonoids, while <em>P. verruculata</em> had unique cholesterol and conjugated chenodeoxycholic acids. The presence of flavonoids, bile acids, and amino acid-betaine compounds in Onchidiidae, some of which are novel for panpulmonates, expands our knowledge of the chemical profiles in these organisms. <br /> In the northern Persian Gulf, the Dendrodorididae O'Donoghue, 1924 sea slug family, including <em>Dendrodoris</em> Ehrenberg, 1831, <em>Doriopsilla</em> Bergh, 1880 genera, was studied. Three species were analyzed, revealing the paraphyletic nature of the genus <em>Dendrodoris</em>. Clear differentiation within <em>Dendrodoris</em> species and confirmation of <em>Dendrodoris fumata</em> (Rüppell & Leuckart, 1830) and <em>Dendrodoris rubra</em> (Kelaart, 1858) separation were observed. A new <em>Doriopsilla</em> species was identified and supported by haplotype networking, genetic distance, and mitochondrial gene analyses based on 16S rDNA and COI sequences.