Terraneo T. I. auteur aut IRD Arrigoni R. auteur aut IRD Benzoni Francesca auteur aut IRD Tietbohl M. D. auteur aut IRD Berumen M. L. auteur aut IRD text journalArticle eng text/pdf born digital access Scleractinian corals ascribed to the family Agariciidae represent an important component of Red Sea coral reef fauna, though little genetic data are currently available for this group, and existing information shows polyphyly in the examined mesophotic taxa from the Pacific Ocean. In this work, we provide a first genetic survey of Agariciidae from the Saudi Arabian Red Sea, based on a collection of shallow-water material (< 30 m) from the Gulf of Aqaba to the Farasan Islands. Two molecular markers were sequenced to infer morphospecies monophyly and relationships, the intergenic region between COI and 16S rRNA from mitochondrial DNA and the ribosomal ITS1 region from nuclear DNA. A total of 20 morphospecies were identified based on classical macromorphological characters. Six, namely Gardineroseris planulata, Pavona maldivensis, Pavona clavus, Pavona decussata, Leptoseris fragilis, and Leptoseris yabei, were resolved with both DNA loci. The molecular boundaries among the remaining 14 species remain unclear. Our results further confirm that the morphology-based taxonomy of most agariciid species is in disagreement with genetics. In order to disentangle the systematics of these taxa, the inclusion of more sampling locations, additional variable loci, and a micromophological approach are likely needed. Our genetic data represent a first step towards the comparison of biodiversity and connectivity between the Red Sea and the rest of the Indo-Pacific. specialized Coral Systematics Biodiversity IGR ITS Phylogenetics DNA taxonomy ARABIE SAOUDITE MER ROUGE 034 47 4 1065-1078 2017 1867-1616 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010071387 10.1007/s12526-017-0722-3 1867-1616 [F B010071387] https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010071387 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/intranet/publi/2017/12/010071387.pdf Accès réservé (Intranet de l'IRD) IRD - Base Horizon / Pleins textes 2018-01-05 2018-01-05 fdi:010071387 fre