Abstract
The trahira or wolf fish - Hoplias malabaricus- is a valid species, although recent cytogenetic and molecular studies have indicated the existence of a species complex. In this context, the present study analyzed the mitochondrial COI marker to determine the levels of genetic diversity of specimens from the Brazilian state of Maranhão, and verify the occurrence of distinct lineages within the study area. Samples were collected from the basins of the Turiaçu, Pindaré, Mearim, Itapecuru, and Parnaíba rivers. A 630-bp fragment was obtained from 211 specimens, with 484 conserved and 108 variable sites, and 60 haplotypes (Hd = 0,947; π = 0,033). The phylogenetic analyses indicated the existence of three distinct lineages of H. malabaricus from Maranhão. Genetic distances of 1.5-8.2% were found between all the populations analyzed, while the variation between haplogroups ranged from 2.1% to 7.7%. The AMOVA indicated that most of the molecular variation was found among groups, with high FST values. The high levels of genetic variability found in the present study are supported by the available cytogenetic data. These findings reinforce the need for the development of effective programs of conservation and management independently for each river basin, in order to preserve the genetic variability found in this taxon.
Highlights
The family Erythrinidae encompasses a small group of Neotropical characiforms, known as trahiras or wolfBraz
A 630-bp fragment of the mitochondrial Cytochrome Oxidase I (COI) gene was obtained for 211 H. malabaricus specimens
No evidence was found of the presence of insertions, deletions, stop codons or any other alterations of the sequence of amino acids, which validates the sequences obtained here as part of the functional region of the COI gene
Summary
The family Erythrinidae encompasses a small group of Neotropical characiforms, known as trahiras or wolf. It comprises of about 15 valid species distributed in the genera Erythrinus Scopoli, 1777, Hoplerythrinus Gill, 917/927 917. W.M.M., Barros, M.C. and Fraga E.C. 1985, and Hoplias Gill, 1903 (Bifi, 2013). The family is endemic to South and Central America. Despite being a relatively small group, the precise identification of the species remains problematic (Oyakawa and Mattox, 2009)
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