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Molecular characterisation of the invasive terrestrial nemertean Geonemertes pelaensis: long and complex mitogenome and presence of NUMTs

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Abstract

The complete mitochondrial genome of the invasive terrestrial nemertean Geonemertes pelaensis Semper, 1863 (Nemertea: Prosorhochmidae) was sequenced from two specimens collected in geographically distant French overseas territories—Martinique in the Caribbean and New Caledonia in the South-West Pacific. In both specimens, the mitogenome contained 13 protein-coding genes, two rRNA genes, and 21 tRNA genes, and was unusually large, approaching 32 kb. The two genomes differed by only four single nucleotide polymorphisms and one indel. A comparison with 22 cox1 sequences available in GenBank confirmed this high level of genetic conservation, suggesting a recent introduction from related source populations. The extraordinary length of the mitogenome was largely attributable to two extended regions comprising only tRNA genes and long intergenic sequences. These results were contrasted with data from an unpublished SRA sequencing project (SRS20559370) of an unlocalized specimen identified as G. pelaensis; its reconstructed mitogenome was only 18 kb in length (14 kb shorter) and showed extensive sequence divergence. Phylogenetic analyses placed this specimen as the sister lineage to G. pelaensis, highlighting the need for further investigation of this taxon. In the Martinique specimen, several NUMTs (nuclear mitochondrial pseudogenes) were also detected, which could complicate future studies relying solely on Sanger sequencing. Sequencing additionally revealed prey DNA from the gut contents of both worms: the New Caledonian specimen had consumed an unidentified noctuid moth, while the Martinique specimen had likely fed on the invasive cockroach Periplaneta australasiae (Fabricius, 1775), itself an introduced species.

Data availability

Reads are available on the Sequence Reads Archive (SRA) under BioProject PRJNA1223316, BioSamples SAMN46813856 (for MNHN JL402) and SAMN50810529 (for MNHN JL632), SRA accession numbers SRR32329171, SRR32329172, SRR35157170 and SRR35157171.

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Funding

This work was co-financed by the Minister of Science under the “Regional Excellence Initiative” Program for 2024–2027 (RID/SP/0045/2024/01). Claude Lemieux and Monique Turmel were supported by grant RGPIN-2017-04506 from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). Brian Boyle and Christian Otis were supported by the “Programme d’appui aux plateformes technologiques stratégiques” from the Ministère de l’Économie, de l’Innovation et de l’Énergie Québec.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Marine and Environmental Sciences, University of Szczecin, Szczecin, Poland

    Romain Gastineau

  2. CIRAD, UPR GECO, 97285, Le Lamentin, Martinique, France

    Mathieu Coulis

  3. GECO, CIRAD, University Montpellier, Montpellier, France

    Mathieu Coulis

  4. Plateforme d’Analyse Génomique, Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes, Université Laval, Quebec, QC, Canada

    Christian Otis & Brian Boyle

  5. Département de Biochimie, de Microbiologie et de Bio-Informatique, Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes, Université Laval, Quebec, QC, Canada

    Claude Lemieux, Monique Turmel, Sima Mohammadi & Roger C. Lévesque

  6. ISYEB, Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité (UMR7205 CNRS, EPHE, MNHN, UPMC, Université des Antilles), Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, CP 51, 55 Rue Buffon, 75231, Paris Cedex 05, France

    David G. Herbert & Jean-Lou Justine

  7. HUN-REN Centre for Agricultural Research, Plant Protection Institute, Brunszvik u. 2, Martonvásár, 2462, Hungary

    Barna Páll-Gergely

  8. Department of Soil, Water and Natural Sciences, Albert Kázmér Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences of Széchenyi István University, Vár 2., Mosonmagyaróvár, 9200, Hungary

    Barna Páll-Gergely

  9. Stuttgart State Museum of Natural History, Rosenstein Gewann 1, 70191, Stuttgart, Germany

    Ira Richling

  10. College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia

    Leigh Winsor

Authors

  1. Romain Gastineau
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  2. Mathieu Coulis
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  3. Christian Otis
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  4. Brian Boyle
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  5. Claude Lemieux
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  6. Monique Turmel
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  7. Sima Mohammadi
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  8. Roger C. Lévesque
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  11. Ira Richling
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  12. Leigh Winsor
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  13. Jean-Lou Justine
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Contributions

Collection of the samples by M.C., D.G.H., B.P.L., I.R. Taxonomic identifications by J.L.J., L.W. Sequencing by C.O., B.B., R.G.L., S.M. Bioinformatic analyses by R.G., C.L. and M.T. First draft written by R.G. Draft edited by L.W., I.R., B.P.L., C.L., J.L.J. All authors read and approved the final draft.

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Romain Gastineau.

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Gastineau, R., Coulis, M., Otis, C. et al. Molecular characterisation of the invasive terrestrial nemertean Geonemertes pelaensis: long and complex mitogenome and presence of NUMTs.
Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-33230-0

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