Revista Chilena de Historia Natural 81 (3): 417-436, 2008
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Paleobiogeography and taxonomy of the genus Concholepas (Lamarck, 1801): a
review and new evidences
The muricid gastropod Concholepas concholepas, known in Chile as ‘loco’,
is an important component of intertidal and shallow subtidal communities, and is one of the main invertebrates targeted by small-scale
fishers (divers) in Chile. Because of its ecological importance and economical value, numerous studies have been conducted to
describe its life history, ecology and to understand population dynamics, fishery and management. However, little effort has been done
to address the causal factor (s) behind its current geographic distribution and moreover little is known about the past distribution of the
different species in the genus. In this paper, first we review the paleobiogeography, historical relationships, taxonomy and geographical
distribution of Concholepas species, so to contribute in the reconstruction on the past history of the genus. Second, we
discuss the robustness of using shell traits when classifying specimens of the genus Concholepas. Third, we evaluate the
taxonomic status of C. concholepas including samples from Peru, the continental coast of Chile and Juan Fernández
Archipelago, using a molecular approach. Four main conclusions are reached: (1) the evolutionary history of the genus
Concholepas has been characterized by successive phenotypically different forms where the fossils species appear to be
distinguishable states in the same evolving lineage; (2) the historical biogeography of Concholepas was probably the
result of a southward direction process of expansions and extinctions, with the ancestral species being located in south-central Peru;
(3) C. concholepas corresponds to a single taxonomic unit along its continental geographical range of distribution; (4) the
mtDNA variation present in C. concholepas does not support the existence of the subspecies C. concholepas
fernandizianus in the Juan Fernández Archipelago. We suggest that these results should be considered in future ecological,
fishery, management and conservation studies on C. concholepas along the Peruvian and Chilean coast and in the Juan
Fernández Archipelago.
Key words:
paleobiogeography,
southeastern Pacific coast, Concholepas, fossil record, taxonomy, mtDNA variation
