First record of Meganthias natalensis (Actinopterygii: Serranidae: Anthiadinae) from the Socotra Archipelago (north-western Indian Ocean), with notes on Odontanthias and Sacura

Abstract

The anthiadine fish Meganthias natalensis (Fowler, 1925) is reported for the first time from the Socotra Archipelago based on a single female specimen of 27.5 cm standard length taken by hook-and-line off Abd al-Kuri Island at a depth of 100–120 m. The voucher specimen represents a substantial northern extension of the distributional range for the species and the first record for the Arabian region. A description of the specimen is provided and the distribution of the species in the Western Indian Ocean is summarized. The mitochondrial COI sequence matched vouchered Meganthias natalensis sequences from South Africa, confirming the species identification. A phenetic tree of COI sequences of available species of the genera Meganthias, Odontanthias, and Sacura is presented. It shows that the species form well-separated monophyletic lineages and the tree implies that the nominal genera Odontanthias and Sacura are paraphyletic and in need of a comprehensive phylogenetic analysis.