Two new species of Margarites (Gastropoda: Margaritidae) from hydrothermal vent areas, Western Pacific

Abstract

During research dives by the submersible ROV Faxian, two margaritid species were collected in Okinawa Trough and Manus Back-Arc Basin. In present study, we describe and illustrate them as Margarites similis sp. nov. and Margarites manusensis sp. nov., respectively. The generic allocation is based on shell morphology and radula features. Phylogenetic reconstruction using the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene also supports their placements within Margarites.