Molecular Phylogeny of Gobies (Teleostei, Gobiidae) from Iranian Water Bodies with a New Record

Abstract

The members of the family Gobiidae are usually small, secretive and are often overlooked in scientific studies of coastal marine communities. This family comprises the subfamilies of Sicydiinae, Gobionellinae, Oxudercinae, Amblyopinae, and Gobiinae. The Oxudercinae, Amblyopinae, and Gobiinae inhabit intertidal and subtidal zones of southern Iran. Stonogobiops nematodes has been identified in the study area for the first time. This research presents molecular reconstructions of seven goby species from the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Makran, using the nuclear Rag1 and Rhodopsin genes. The phylogeny combines sequences of 51 species from GenBank with those of the new species. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian analysis were used to determine that the monophyly of the Oxudercinae and Amblyopinae, as suggested by previous morphological studies, cannot be supported by the present and other molecular studies. The subfamily Gobiinae contains Gobiopsis and Cryptocentrus lineages. Close phylogenetic relationships between Istigobius and Exyrias, and Stonogobiops and Cryptocentrus are verified by morphological and molecular examination. The present molecular reconstruction uses gobies from southern Iranian waters to present more precise phylogenetic relationships among the Gobiidae than have been presented in previous studies.