New species and records of limpets (Mollusca, Gastropoda) from the Pacific Costa Rica Margin.

Abstract

The ocean remains a reservoir of unknown biodiversity, particularly in the deep sea. Chemosynthesis-based ecosystems, such as hydrothermal vents and hydrocarbon seeps, host unique and diverse life forms that continue to be discovered and described. The present study focuses on patelliform gastropods (limpets) collected from Pacific Costa Rica Margin hydrocarbon seeps during three research cruises from 2017 to 2019. Genetic and morphological analyses revealed the presence of several new lineages within the genera Bathyacmaea Okutani, Tsuchida & Fujikura,1992, Cocculina Dall, 1882, Paralepetopsis McLean, 1990, and the family Lepetodrilidae McLean, 1988: Bathyacmaealevinae sp. nov., Paralepetopsisvariabilis sp. nov., Pseudolepetodriluscostaricensis gen. et sp. nov., and Cocculinamethana sp. nov. These investigations also expanded the known ranges of the species Pyropeltacorymba McLean, 1992 and Lepetodrilusguaymasensis McLean, 1988 to the Costa Rica Margin. This research highlights the uniqueness of gastropod fauna at the Costa Rica Margin and contributes to our understanding of the biodiversity at chemosynthesis-based deep-sea ecosystems in the face of global biodiversity loss and increased commercial interest in deep-sea resources.