First report of genetic diversity and demographic history of the sea cucumber Athyonidium chilensis (Semper, 1868) from Chile

Abstract

Sea  cucumbers  inhabit  all  depths  and  oceans  of  the  world.  In  Chile,  within  this  group  stands  out  Athyonidium  chilensis  (Semper,  1868),  a  commercial  species  distributed throughout the Southeastern Pacific, which recently has been involved on applied studies that describes its medical and pharmaceutic industry use. However, mostly of it is biological, ecological and fisheries information is still unknown. Recent fishing landing records points out to an irregular fishing effort and lack of knowledge of its population dynamics. The present study analyzed, through the genetic marker Cytochrome Oxidase Subunit I, the genetic diversity and demographic history of A.  chilensis  from  a  population  that  has  no  formal  extractive  records.  Results  showed  high  genetic  diversity  and  the  presence  of  three  groups  with  high  levels  of  differentiation  between  them,  which  could partly explain such genetic diversity, but contrasts with the conspecific variation estimated for other holothuroids with similar characteristics. This information arises as a starting point to evaluate the state of this species and develop management plans that ensure it conservation.