A phylogenetic study of a tropical sea urchin, Echinometra sp. EZ (Echinoidea: Camarodonta: Echinometridae) from the Persian Gulf

Sea urchins have important effects on marine ecosystems such as rocky shores and coral reefs across the world. However, species diversity and molecular phylogeny of most echinoid taxa are poorly known in Iran. In this study, the phylogenetic relationships of one of the most abundant species of the genus Echinometra in the Persian Gulf were examined. Echinoids were collected from the intertidal zone of Qeshm Island and Lengeh Port on March and December 2017. Morphological criteria based on valid identification keys combined with molecular analysis of a fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) protein-coding gene were used to delineate Echinometra species. Our analyses showed that all specimens (N = 15) belong to Echinometra sp. EZ. Tree topologies indicated that our individuals from two sampling sites formed a distinct monophyletic clade with E. sp. EZ, demonstrating high support values. This is the first phylogenetic analysis of E. sp. EZ from Iran.