Genetic characterisation of populations of the critically endangered Goliath grouper ( Epinephelus itajara, Serranidae) from the Northern Brazilian coast through analyses of mtDNA

Gláucia C Silva-Oliveira,Péricles S Do Rêgo,Marcelo Vallinoto,Iracilda Sampaio,Horacio Schneider

doi:10.1590/s1415-47572008005000013

Abstract

The Goliath grouper ( Epinephelus itajara ) is one of the most endangered species of fish of the subfamily Epinephelinae. Slow to develop and mature, and dependent on mangrove habitats for breeding, the species also suffers intense harvesting, which has reduced drastically in numbers in many areas. To contribute to the understanding of the characteristics of E. itajara populations, we conducted a molecular genetics study of the species, focusing on populations from the Northern Brazilian coast. The mtDNA control region (D-loop) of 116 individuals from five localities (Bragança, Ajuruteua, Parnaíba, Fortaleza and Natal) was analysed, and a sequence of 499 base pairs identified. Analyses of the sequences indicated that genetic variability was generally lower in E. itajara than in other endangered species of the genus. AMOVA found no significant grouping structure among the populations. Nested Clade Analysis revealed a significant association between genetic variability and geographic distribution among only three populations (Ajuruteua, Parnaíba and Natal). Genetic diversity was higher in populations from the Amazon region, which may be related to the better conservation of mangrove habitats in this area. Therefore, the present study could be used for the implementation of conservation and management measures in order to protect and consolidate these populations.

Highlights

The subfamily Epinephelinae encompasses the largest-bodied serranids, the groupers, with a total of 159 species distributed among 15 genera (Heemstra and Randall, 1993)
Three studies of population genetics are available for other members of the genus Epinephelus (Rivera et al, 2004; Zatcoff et al, 2004; Maggio et al, 2006), they are based on different methods and molecular markers
The aims of the present study were to estimate the genetic variability of E. itajara populations from northern Brazilian coast based on the analyses of the control region (D-loop) of the mitochondrial genome, investigate migratory patterns and demographic and structural traits of the different populations

Summary

Short Communication

Genetic characterisation of populations of the critically endangered Goliath grouper (Epinephelus itajara, Serranidae) from the Northern Brazilian coast through analyses of mtDNA. Silva-Oliveira, Péricles S. do Rêgo, Horacio Schneider, Iracilda Sampaio and Marcelo Vallinoto1,2 1Laboratório de Genética e Biologia Molecular, Instituto de Estudos Costeiros, Universidade Federal do Pará, Bragança, PA, Brazil. Silva-Oliveira, Péricles S. do Rêgo, Horacio Schneider, Iracilda Sampaio and Marcelo Vallinoto1,2 1Laboratório de Genética e Biologia Molecular, Instituto de Estudos Costeiros, Universidade Federal do Pará, Bragança, PA, Brazil. 2Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Campus Agrário de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, Vairão, Portugal

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