Barcode Reveals Hidden Diversity and Cryptic Speciation among Butterfly Rays Distributed in the Americas

• Published in: Taxonomy (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 4; no. 3; pp. 561 - 573
• Main Authors: Ehemann, Nicolás Roberto, Siccha-Ramirez, Raquel, Miranda-Romero, Junior, García-Rodríguez, Francisco Javier, De La Cruz-Agüero, José
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Vienna MDPI AG 01.09.2024
• Subjects: Atlantic; Bar codes; barcode; batomorph; Chondrichthyes; Coasts; Cytochrome; Gymnura; Pacific; Phylogenetics; Software; Taxonomy; Peru; South Korea

The taxonomic status of butterfly rays within the genus Gymnura remains a subject of ongoing debate among researchers. Some authors recognize up to five valid species for the Americas, while others considered several to be synonyms, which has posed a persistent challenge. We aimed to shed light on t...