Characterization of the Mitochondrial Genome, Ecological Distribution, and Morphological Features of the Marine Gastropod Mollusc Lophocochlias parvissimus (Gastropoda, Tornidae)

Abstract

The larvae of the marine gastropod Lophocochlias parvissimus are meroplankton that spend part of their lives as plankton that disperse and drift in the water column before settling on the sea floor. Two individuals of L. parvissimus larvae were sampled by the Multiple Opening/Closing Net and Environmental Sensing System (MOCNESS) from the Central Indian Ridge of the southwestern Indian Ocean in 2018 and 2019. We generated the first mitochondrial sequences for L. parvissimus, which will provide valuable genetic insight into the evolution of these organisms. In this study, we have determined that the mitogenome of L. parvissimus was 13,575 bp in length, consisting of 13 protein-coding genes, 18 tRNAs, and two rRNAs. Our work provides a new insight into the dispersal of L. parvissimus and previously missing components to the general understanding of the evolution of Truncatelloidea (Subclass Caenogastropoda).