Molecular and morphological evidence of the occurrence of the Norwegian skate Dipturus nidarosiensis (Storm, 1881) in the Mediterranean Sea

• Main Authors: Cannas, Rita, Follesa, Maria Cristina, Cabiddu, Serenella, Porcu, Cristina, Salvadori, Susanna, Iglésias, Samuel Paco, Deiana, Anna Maria, Cau, Angelo
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: Taylor & Francis 2010
• Subjects: Marine Biology; Dipturus nidarosiensis; Norwegian skate
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.825732.v1; https://tandf.figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Molecular_and_morphological_evidence_of_the_occurrence_of_the_Norwegian_skate_i_Dipturus_nidarosiensis_i_Storm_1881_in_the_Mediterranean_Sea_/825732/1

Fourteen specimens of the Norwegian skate, Dipturus nidarosiensis (Rajiformes, Rajidae), were caught off the Sardinian coasts (Central Western Mediterranean Sea) in 2005–2008 between 600 and 1420 m of depth. Their identification has been confirmed by the sequencing of three regions of the mtDNA (16SrDNA, control region and cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1) and comparison of the obtained sequences with that of three species of Dipturus ( D . batis, D. oxyrinchus and D. nidarosiensis ) from the Mediterranean Sea and the adjacent North-eastern Atlantic Ocean. A simple PCR-RFLP assay has been developed for an easy, reliable and robust identification of these skate species. A morphological comparison of the Norwegian skate with congeneric species is given in order to help future identifications. This is the first record of D. nidarosiensis in the Mediterranean Sea; the possibility of recent or ancient but unnoticed occurrence of the Norwegian skate in the region is discussed.