Phylogeography of the Brittle Star Ophiura sarsii Lütken, 1855 (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea) from the Barents Sea and East Atlantic

Ophiura sarsii is a common brittle star species across the Arctic and Sub-Arctic regions of Atlantic Pacific oceans. Ophiurasarsii among dominant echinoderms in Barents Sea. We studied genetic diversity O.sarsii by sequencing 548 bp fragment mitochondrial COI gene. demonstrated high Both major mtDNA lineages were present Sea evenly distributed between northern waters around Svalbard archipelago southern part near Murmansk coast Kola Peninsula. regions, other parts range, characterized haplotype with significant number private haplotypes being mostly satellites to two haplotypes, each belonging different clade. Demographic analyses indicated that demographic spatial expansion most plausibly has started Bølling–Allerød interstadial during deglaciation western margin