Genetic identification of Penaeus monodon from incipient invasions in the Yucatán Peninsula, south-southeast Gulf of Mexico

Abstract

In the western Atlantic, the presence of the invasive tiger shrimp Penaeus monodon has been recorded since 1987. Established and incipient populations are reported from North Carolina, USA, to Sergipe, Brazil. In the Yucatán Peninsula, in the south-southeast Gulf of Mexico, the first sightings of P. monodon were reported in 2014. To date, the sparse records suggest an ongoing incipient invasion, providing a time-critical opportunity for early biological assessment. In the present study, two wild adults of P. monodon are reported for Rio Lagartos Lagoon, Yucatán, situated in the innermost part of the southeast Gulf of Mexico, close to the Caribbean Sea. Penaeus monodon identification was initially assessed based on macroscopic morphological features. Molecular analyses were used to corroborate morphological identification. A BLAST search was conducted by comparing partial sequences (510 bp) of the mtDNA control region (CR) of tiger shrimps from Yucatán (used as queries) with sequences deposited in the GenBank database. A Maximum Likelihood phylogenetic tree, generated from BLAST top hits (E-value cutoff = 0), revealed that sequences from Yucatán were most closely related to native sequences submitted from Indonesia. This accurate species identification has implications since this invasive shrimp threatens native biodiversity. The probable regional routes of the spread of P. monodon to the south-southeast Gulf of Mexico are discussed.