Tourism, Culture and Recreation
October 24, 2012

The following is being distributed at the request of The Rooms Corporation:

The Rooms Receives Samples of New Species
of Razor Clam Discovered in Conception Bay South

The Rooms is excited to be the recipient of two samples of a new species of razor clam that was discovered by biologists from the Universidade da Coruña and the Aarhus Universitet. The new species was collected off Long Pond in Conception Bay South in 2007.

The discovery of the new species, named Ensis terranovensis, is the result of a collaborative project between Spanish geneticists Joaquín Vierna, Ana M. González-Tizón, Andrés Martínez-Lage, and Danish marine ecologist, Kurt Thomas Jensen. Ensis directus is a razor clam native to the eastern coast of the United States and Canada. For many years it has been assumed that the species found off Newfoundland’s shores was Ensis directus, however, genetic analysis of the Long Pond specimens allowed researchers to identify the new species - Ensis terranovensis. As a result, existing collections will be re-examined and compared with the new species information and findings of this work will be published in the journal of Marine Biology.

Given the significance of this find to the international research community, samples were provided to the Canadian Museum of Nature which in turn shared samples with The Rooms. “We’re very excited at The Rooms to receive these samples,” commented Anne Chafe, Director of The Rooms Provincial Museum. “The research and development being done by the international scientific community here in the province and off our shores is remarkable and we are pleased to share and learn from their discoveries.”

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BACKGROUNDER

The Canadian Museum of Nature is Canada's national museum of natural history and natural sciences. It promotes awareness of Canada's natural heritage through signature and travelling exhibitions, public education programmes, on-going scientific research, a dynamic website and the maintenance of a 10.5 million-specimen collection. The museum is a founding member of the Alliance of Natural History Museums of Canada.

Dr. Andrés Martínez-Lage has been working on cytogenetics of bivalves for more than 20 years. Most recently he has been doing population genetic and evolutionary genetic studies on barnacles, mussels, razor shells, and clams. He has contributed to more than 30 research papers. In 2011, he was appointed vice-dean of the Faculty of Science at the University of A Coruña (Spain). Currently, he is in charge of the Human Genetics and General Genetics courses.

Dr. Ana González-Tizón has been the coordinator of the Evolutionary Biology Group at the University of A Coruña since 2010. She is interested in evolution of marine species, particularly molluscs and crustaceans. Her research work deals with cytogenetics, population genetics, phylogenetics, and phylogeography. She is currently in charge of a Genetics and Forensic Genetics Course at the Faculty of Science at the University of A Coruña. She has contributed to more than 30 research papers, has edited the popular book Aquí estamos, mutando and she is currently an editor of the Italian Journal of Zoology.

Dr. K. Thomas Jensen is Associate Professor at the Department of Bioscience at Aarhus University, Denmark. He received his Ph.D. from Aarhus University in Marine Ecology. He has taught courses in general ecology, marine ecology and parasitology. K. Thomas Jensen’s research explores the population ecology of marine invertebrates in shallow water communities.

Joaquín Vierna is a PhD student at the Evolutionary Biology Group - University of A Coruña. Vierna is interested in molecular evolution, phylogenetics and phylogeography and for completion of his PhD thesis, he has been studying a group of marine molluscs known as Ensis razor shells (Bivalvia: Pharidae). His research has been based on the analysis of DNA sequences at different systematic levels. Vierna has been with AllGenetics since October 2011. AllGenetics & Biology, SL was established in 2011 as a spin-off company of the University of A Coruña in order to support European researchers, corporations, and institutions in the development of their genetic projects while creating and preserving jobs in the fields of Genetics and Molecular Biology. As a biological company, AllGenetics & Biology, SL are concerned with environmental protection and collaborate with environmental organizations, both as members and as partners, supporting them in the development of conservation biology projects.

2012 10 24                              1:35 p.m.