Integrative taxonomy of four Clathrina species of the Adriatic Sea, with the first formal description of Clathrina rubra Sarà, 1958.

The taxonomy of the class Calcarea has long relied on histological and morphological characters, with a few molecular studies done. In character-poor genera, such as Clathrina, an integrative taxonomy, associating morphological and molecular tools, greatly aids in the species identification. In this study, we describe four Clathrina species from the northern Adriatic Sea using morphology and DNA sequences together with observations on their ecology. Clathrina clathrus and Clathrina blanca have been previously reported for the Adriatic Sea; however, it is the first time that a DNA sequence of C. blanca has been obtained. Clathrina cf. hondurensis, a Caribbean species, is being reported in the Adriatic Sea for the first time, and we present the first description and DNA sequence of Clathrina rubra, a red species originally mentioned from Naples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]