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Email the author (Login required) Molecular evidence of introgression between the oysters Magallana gigas (= Crassostrea gigas) and Saccostrea palmula in a coastal lagoon of the Gulf of California
Submited: 2025-03-10 15:59:15 | Published: 2026-03-19 19:35:03
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3856/vol54-issue2-fulltext-3407
Abstract
The El Soldado coastal lagoon in Sonora, Mexico, is a protected natural area and a Ramsar site; hence, fishing and aquaculture activities have been prohibited there since 2006. Considering its excellent state of conservation, it serves as a model for comparative studies with other coastal lagoons of the Gulf of California that are more heavily impacted by human activity. Therefore, it is essential to describe its biodiversity and emphasize the importance of its conservation. El Soldado has several species of mollusks; however, only two oyster species have previously been reported, which underestimates the diversity of the Ostreidae family in that area. This study was conducted to determine the species of ostreids inhabiting this coastal lagoon and to corroborate anatomical identification using molecular tools. The following four oyster species were found: the mangrove oyster Saccostrea palmula, the pleasure oyster Crassostrea corteziensis, the flat oyster Ostrea angelica, and the rock oyster Striostrea prismatica. However, some S. palmula specimens showed mitochondrial sequences and a nuclear region of Magallana gigas (= Crassostrea gigas), representing a threat to the evolutionary legacy of the S. palmula genome, and the magnitude of the impact at the population level and in other nearby coastal lagoons where M. gigas is cultured remains to be addressed.
