Hanan Adel Wali
Dar Alfikr School, Jeddah, SAUDI ARABIA
Blue pigmented copepods (microscopic organisms) are among the most diverse animals on the planet. There are almost 260 different species of copepods and more are being discovered in the Red Sea. The blue color helps them protect against strong solar radiations (ultraviolet), therefor copepods protect marine organisms beneath the surface of the Red Sea. The study’s goal was to identify the diverse blue-pigmented copepods from the Red Sea and to analyze the protein that enables them to absorb the sunlight. Different environments and areas were considered in collecting samples such as sun light exposure and depth. Three hundred samples were identified by morphological taxonomic identification using microscopy and DNA sequencing of mitochondrial (mtCOI) gene. Different types of analysis were conducted using BLASTn analysis, multiple sequence alignment, and phylogenetic analysis. According to the analysis, the DNA barcodes of six samples didn’t exceed 81% comparing to the existing barcodes which indicates same genus but different species, and two of the samples had 0% matching which indicates different genus and species. This study had generated eight DNA barcodes of the unknown species that can be added to the NCBI database. In conclusion, the Red Sea harbors unidentified species of genera Acartia, Labidocera and Sapphirina. Such proteins found in the new species can be applied in medicine and various treatments.