A putative species complex in the Sea of Japan revealed by DNA sequence data: a study on cf. (Gastropoda: Patellogastropoda).

A putative new limpet species (Patellogastropoda) from the Sea of Japan is revealed by molecular genetic analyses using the mitochondrial markers rRNA and subunit I (), as well as the DNA marker rRNA. Our data indicate that the limpet, collected in the Peter the Great Bay (Russian Federation), is not, as its morphology suggests, the Japanese species Sasaki and Okutani, 1994, and might also hint towards another putative species complex in the Sea of Japan. The different currents between the Far East Asian mainland (cold, subpolar jet running southwards) and the Japanese archipelago (warm, subtropical jet running northwards) are likely to act as a barrier that has a substantial influence on species distribution in these waters. Accordingly, our results indicate that it is about time for a revision of patellogastropod species with a reported distribution in Japanese and Far Eastern Russian waters by an integrative approach using molecular genetic and morphological characters. The species investigated herein is referred to as cf. until it is morphologically re-examined and compared with primary type specimens of known species.