Insights into the Migration Routes and Historical Dispersion of Species Surviving the Messinian Crisis: The Case of Patella ulyssiponensis and Epizoic Rhodolith Lithophyllum hibernicum

The genus Patella (Patellogastropoda, Mollusca) is represented by a group of species exclusive to the Northeast Atlantic Ocean (including Macaronesian archipelagos) and Mediterranean Sea. ulyssiponensis aspera are common in European waters, with first inhabiting continental coast, second endemic archipelagos. However, acceptance these two lineages as separate still highly debated. red coralline algae Lithophyllum hibernicum, distributed from Mediterranean, usually found epilithic crusts or unattached forms (named rhodolith beds), although it also epizoic on other organisms, e.g., shell surfaces. In order study historic dispersal migration routes ulyssiponensis-aspera complex, taxonomic, genetic biogeographic approaches were employed based haplotype network analyses estimations for most recent ancestor (TMRCA), using Cytochrome Oxydase I. A synonymy proposed, presence shared between (P. ulyssiponensis) insular aspera) lineages, basis morphological nomenclatural data. We propose an evolutionary scenario its high diversity regions, indicating possible survival during Messinian Salinity Crisis (6–5.3 Mya), followed colonization Proto-Macaronesian association L. hibernicum P. adult surface recorded this study, likewise promotion settlement conditions provided larvae, may explain reach distribution through transportation.