The bearded fireworm Hermodice carunculata is a conspicuous omnivorous benthic invertebrate distributed in the wider Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Questions were raised in the past regarding the taxonomic status of amphiatlantic fireworm specimens but subsequent analysis of morphological data with new molecular data reconfirmed the presence of only one species, H. carunculata with amphiatlantic distribution. Hermodice carunculata has been the subject of several taxonomic and genetic studies but there are still questions regarding the genetic diversity and population structure of the species throughout its range. We contributed to the genetic studies of H. carunculata with ~200 new samples from over 20 locations in the Caribbean, Eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. We sequenced the mitochondrial markers Cytochrome c oxidase Subunit I (COI) and Cytochrome b (Cytb) from each polychaete to examine the patterns of genetic diversity of H. carunculata. Our data revealed a significant population structure between the Caribbean H. carunculata including those from Brazil compared with those from the eastern Atlantic (Tenerife, Canary Islands) and eastern Mediterranean (Greece and Malta). We inferred rates of gene flow between eastern and western Atlantic populations by estimating the bidirectional effective migration rate (Nem). We corroborate previous studies indicating the existence of one species with genetically distinct populations. However, the biological significance of the observed population divergence should be evaluated with cross-breeding experiments.

Conservation plans may conflict when both predator and prey in the same ecological system are threatened species. In this study we present a problematic case of conflicting conservation policies involving the Arabian wolf Canis lupus arabs and two species of gazelles (Gazella gazella acaciae and Gazella dorcas), all of which are threatened in Israel. By studying genetic subdivision using faecal DNA we evaluated the policy of treating the Arabian wolves in the Negev Desert as two separate populations. We analysed 95 wolf faecal samples from 12 feeding sites c. 20 km apart. Network analysis and Bayesian clustering were used for separating populations. Mark–recapture design, rarefaction and an urn model were applied to estimate wolf population size. We found that wolves in the central and southern Negev cannot be genetically separated, and their density is similar in both regions. Our results provide a better baseline for a unified management of wolves in the Negev. We call for the consideration of other factors influencing gazelle population size before adopting drastic measures such as wolf removal.