Range Expansion and First Observation of Tridacna noae in American Sāmoa
- Paolo Marra-Biggs,
- James Fatherree,
- Alison Green,
- Rob Toonen
Rob Toonen
University of Hawai'i at Mānoa Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology
Author ProfileAbstract
Giant clams are keystone species on coral reefs, but global demand for
their harvest has decimated populations and resulted in all Tridacnids
being listed on both CITES and IUCN lists. However, giant clams are
notoriously difficult to identify, and recent molecular work has
revealed that morphological misidentification of giant clams have
confounded current population assessments and extinction risk. The most
recent study of the status of giant clams in the Samoan Archipelago was
published over 20 years ago, without molecular corroboration of visual
identifications. Using morphologic characteristics and ez-RAD genetic
techniques, we identify the existence of Tridacna noae in the Samoan
archipelago, presenting the first observation and a resulting range
expansion. Accurately identifying the extant species in the archipelago
is the first step towards a much-needed population status assessment to
effectively manage these long-lived species.17 May 2022Submitted to Ecology and Evolution 18 May 2022Submission Checks Completed
18 May 2022Assigned to Editor
19 May 2022Reviewer(s) Assigned
28 May 2022Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
27 Jun 2022Editorial Decision: Revise Minor
06 Sep 20221st Revision Received
06 Sep 2022Submission Checks Completed
06 Sep 2022Assigned to Editor
06 Sep 2022Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
09 Sep 2022Reviewer(s) Assigned
03 Oct 2022Editorial Decision: Revise Minor
17 Nov 20222nd Revision Received
21 Nov 2022Submission Checks Completed
21 Nov 2022Assigned to Editor
21 Nov 2022Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
22 Nov 2022Editorial Decision: Accept