Lipkearuspoliana Vogt, 1886 (Cnidaria: Staurozoa) in Portugal: the contribution of citizen science to range extension and taxonomic discussion of rare species

Citizen science online platforms are increasingly making important sources of biological information available at the click of a button, allowing the interaction of volunteers and scientists to report and identify the world's diversity. In this work, we combined the data available in citizen science platforms (iNaturalist and GelAvista) and the effort and collaboration of a diverse team of scuba-divers, scientists, and underwater photographers to report for the first time the presence of the stauromedusa Lipkea (Cnidaria: Staurozoa) in Portugal. Based on DNA (COI and 16S), we identified the species as Lipkearuspoliana. However, the marginal lappets of some Portuguese specimens are similar to those of Lipkeasturdzii, a species described based on a single specimen in 1893 and never reported again. These results suggest that L.sturdzii is a synonym of L.ruspoliana, although further taxon and habitat sampling for genetic studies and investigations of intraspecific morphological variation are necessary. In addition, we provided data on species ecology, reviewed the records of Staurozoa from Portugal, and mapped the world geographic distribution of Lipkea. Staurozoa is a cryptic group of cnidarians, and Lipkea seems to be a particularly rare genus. Citizen science has proved to be a valuable contribution to studies on the group, enabling biological discussions that otherwise would be more challenging.

Automated summary

This study reports for the first time the presence of the Lipkea species in Portugal, using data from citizen science platforms and collaboration between divers, scientists, and photographers. DNA analysis identified the species as Lipkearuspoliana, but there are similarities with Lipkeasturdzii, a species described in 1893 and never reported again. The study also provides ecological data, reviews records of Staurozoa in Portugal, and maps the global distribution of Lipkea.