The speciation mechanisms of organisms have been a mystery, particularly when, geographically, there are fewer barriers in the open seas. In this study, we conducted genome-wide analyses on 16 individuals (14 species) from the highly diverse sea snake genus Hydrophis, to study the process of their evolution and speciation.
The results showed that most Hydrophis sea snakes speciated simultaneously around one million years ago. After speciation, there was little hybridization between different species, and reproductive isolation.
The species Hydrophis stokesii was found for the first time in Japanese waters off of Okinawa Main Island in 2021. Okinawan specimens had a lot less genetic diversity than specimens of the same species in Australian waters. It suggests the possibility that it may belong to a new and extremely small group.
This study was conducted in collaboration with a research team led by Professor Takushi Kishida, College of Bioresource Sciences, Nihon University.

For more information, please read the scientific paper below.

Hydrophis stokesii found off of Okinawa Main Island in 2021

Authors

Takushi Kishida, Rina Keboushi, Takahide Sasai, Mamoru Toda Bold letters : Foundation staff

Paper title

Genomics Reveals Recent Rapid Speciation of Sea Snakes of the Genus Hydrophis (Reptilia, Squamata, Elapidae)

Journal

Ecology and Evolution

Link to Scientific Paper

https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.71627