Tubastraea coccinea (Cnidaria: Anthozoa) is the globally dispersed species of Sun Coral

Clicks: 8
ID: 337656
2026
Free PDF
Article Quality & Performance Metrics
Overall Quality
Not rated
Combines reader engagement with the AI quality analysis. This article has not been analysed, so there is no overall score — reader engagement is measured and shown alongside.
AI Quality Assessment
Not analyzed
Readership in this journal
Emerging

Ranked #115 of 118 articles by views in genome biology and evolution

Most read Least read

Bar heights use a square-root scale.

Mint this article as an NFT
Not yet minted

Create a permanent, verifiable on-chain record of this article on the Scimatic Network. The NFT is held in your Journament account, and you can withdraw it to your own wallet at any time.

5 SUSD one-off · no wallet required
Sign in to mint
Abstract
Abstract Species of the genus Tubastraea (sun corals) have dispersed globally over recent decades, but morphological trait identification has led to taxonomic confusion, with multiple authors proposing conflicting species identifications due to high morphological plasticity and overlapping diagnostic traits. We combined global-scale molecular phylogenetics with chromosome-level genome assemblies to resolve this taxonomic issue. Using mitochondrial and nuclear markers from 287 specimens across five ocean regions, including type localities in Bora Bora (T. coccinea) and Galapagos (T. tagusensis), we reconstructed phylogenetic relationships and inferred demographic history through approximate Bayesian computation. We also generated high-quality, chromosome-level genome assemblies for three morphologically distinct morphotypes from the Brazilian coastline. Phylogenetic and species delimitation analyses revealed two well-supported clades: a small, geographically restricted T. tagusensis clade confined to the Galapagos Islands, and a large cosmopolitan clade containing all worldwide samples, including T. coccinea from its type locality. Comparative genomic analyses of the three morphotypes revealed k-mer spectra compatible with triploidy and assemblies comprising 14 chromosome-scale scaffolds with extensive synteny and gene-tree discordance consistent with incomplete lineage sorting. Dispersal-route analyses identified the Southeastern Pacific (Galapagos) as the ancestral source, with at least two independent, human-mediated colonization events establishing populations in the Southwestern Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and Western Pacific. Our results establish Tubastraea coccinea as the cosmopolitan species responsible for global dissemination, while T. tagusensis is endemic to the Galapagos and not involved in the worldwide dispersion.
Reference Key
openalex_W7224471684 Use this key to autocite in the manuscript while using SciMatic Manuscript Manager or Thesis Manager
Authors Angela Ferreira Portella, João Gabriel R. N. Ferreira, Giordano B. Soares‐Souza, Danielle Luciana Aurora Soares do Amaral, Karine Venegas Macieira, Luciano Cesar Candisani, Yasmin Rodrigues da Cunha, Camilla Santos, Daniela Batista, Luciana Leomil, André Torres, Francesco Dondero, Aline Silva Romão‐Dumaresq, Diego F. Figueroa, David W. Hicks, Juliana Alves Americo, Marcela Uliano‐Silva, C. Russo, Mauro de Freitas Rebelo
Are you one of these authors? Claim your profile
Journal genome biology and evolution
Year 2026
DOI
10.1093/gbe/evag255
URL
https://doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evag255
Keywords Keywords not found

Citations

No citations found. To add a citation, contact the admin at info@scimatic.org

Comments

No comments yet. Be the first to comment on this article.