Differential invading potential among cryptic species of a Lessepsian bioinvader, the blotchfin dragonet Callionymus filamentosus

Abstract

The bioinvasion of the Mediterranean from the Red Sea via the Suez Canal, called Lessepsian bioinvasion, was used as a way to uncover the invading potential of different genetic clades. Populations of blotchfin dragonet Callionymus filamentosus were assessed, based on 2 mitochondrial markers (control region and cytochrome oxidase 1) and 2 nuclear markers (2nd intron of the ribosomal protein S7 and rhodopsin). Populations clustered in 2 mitochondrial clades: one clade included only individuals collected in the Red Sea, while the other included samples from both the Red Sea and the Mediterranean. In contrast, nuclear markers did not separate Red Sea and Mediterranean individuals. We interpret these results as a differential in invading poten- tial of the individuals belonging to the 2 mitochondrial clades. Incomplete lineage sorting in nuclear markers suggests that these 2 groups are at an early stage of differentiation. Thus, the model of Lessepsian bioinvasions may, in some cases, be used to assess ecological differences among non-geographic clades.