Browsing by Author "Hoz Schilling, Carolina de la"
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- DNA barcoding as a tool to explore elasmobranch diversity in environmental DNA off the Banc d´Arguin (Mauritania)Publication . Hoz Schilling, Carolina de la; Serrão, Ester; Jabado, Rima W.Sharks and rays are the most threatened group of marine vertebrates. Extinction risk is highest for species in tropical and subtropical areas, often associated with developing nations that generally lack baseline data on species diversity. Although considered a regional elasmbranch hotspot, species diversity in the Banc d’Arguin National Park (PNBA) in Mauritania has not been characterized. Here, a first description of species diversity is provided based on a combination of approaches. DNA barcoding was used to build a regional genetic reference database of species sampled at local processing and landing sites. Two potentially new species (genus Gymnura and Torpedo) were found and possible new lineages for Sphyrna lewini and Aetomylaeus bovinus were uncovered, however, results should be observed with caution and are pending further confirmation. Mustelus punctulatus and Hypanus rudis were confirmed from Mauritania for the first time, extending their known distribution range. Metabarcoding was used to explore species diversity in eDNA samples from the PNBA. Results confirmed the presence of 29 different species, 12 sharks and 17 rays of which 14 species had previously never been reported from the PNBA in the literature. Notably, Mustelus punctulatus was found in 77% of the eDNA samples, while the only locally reported smoothhound, M. mustelus, was absent in all samples. Sphyrna lewini, a species previously reported, was absent from all eDNA samples, however its presence was visually confirmed. Putative new Gymnura and Torpedo species were found throughout various eDNA samples. A total of 66.6% of shark and ray species in the PNBA are threatened with extinction (including S. lewini). Considering the high fishing pressure sharks and rays are exposed to, these results emphasize the importance of taxonomic identification for individual species management and provide a baseline to inform future studies and shark and ray specific conservation measures in the PNBA.