Circular or oval? Molecular phylogenetic analysis revealed variations in middorsal spots of Chloeia flava (Pallas, 1766)

Abstract Chloeia flava (Pallas, 1766) is characterized by having circular middorsal spots on median segments, and researchers have different opinions on whether circular- and oval-shaped middorsal spots on median segments are intraspecific morphological variations of C. flava . However, molecular data are lacking to resolve this problem. Based on specimens of C. flava collected from Fujian, China, we conducted morphological and molecular genetic analyses, and the results clarified that middorsal spots were circular in live specimens, while they varied from circular to oval in shape among the fixed specimens. Morphological analyses also indicated that C. flava could be distinguished from its morphologically similar species C. pulchella by having different-sized middorsal spots and types of chaetae, but molecular data are still needed to test this hypothesis in future studies.