Phylogenetic relationships of Mediterranean Mullidae species (Perciformes) inferred from genetic and morphologic data

Cemal Turan

doi:10.3989/scimar.2006.70n2311

Abstract

Genetic and morphological divergence and phylogenetic relationships of four species Mullus barbatus, Mullus surmuletus, Upeneus moluccensis, Upeneus pori and one subspecies M.b. ponticus of Mullus were investigated using 12 enzymatic systems, corresponding to 17 putative loci. Eight loci (AAT-1*, AAT-2*, ADH*, GAPDH*, G6PDH*, IDHP*, PGI-2*, SOD*) were found to be polymorphic in at least one species, while the remaining nine (mAAT*, CK-1*, CK-2*, G3PDH*, MDH*, ME-1*, ME-2*, PGI-1*, PGM*) were monomorphic in all species. Several loci showed different electrophoretic patterns among species and thus can be used in species taxonomy as diagnostic markers. The PGM* and SOD* loci proved to be especially species-specific. Fisher’s exact test revealed overall highly significant allele frequency differences between M. barbatus and M. b. ponticus (P M. barbatus and M. b. ponticus , and 0.341 between M. barbatus and M. surmuletus within the genus Mullus . Relatively higher genetic differentiation (D=0.628) was observed between U. moluccensis and U. pori . For intergeneric comparisons, the highest genetic distance (1.250) was detected between M. surmuletus and U. pori, and the lowest (D=1.056) was observed between M. surmuletus and U. moluccensis. Remarkably U. pori was genetically the most distinct species from the genus Mullus . A neighbour-joining analysis of genetic data separated the two genera: M. barbatus and M. b. ponticus clustered as the closest taxonomic assemblage, which was a sister group to M. surmuletus in the first branch, while U. moluccensis and U. pori clustered more divergently in the second branch. Morphological data using meristic characters was congruent with the genetic data and revealed similar patterns of relationships among four Mullidae species.

Highlights

The family Mullidae is a commercially important demersal fish group distributed throughout the world’s seas
The genus Mullus is represented by two species (Mullus barbatus and Mullus surmuletus) and one subspecies (Mullus barbatus ponticus)
U. pori is a lessepsian migrant species which penetrates into the Mediterranean Sea through the Suez Channel (Ben-Tuvia and Golani, 1989) and inhabits the western Indian Ocean: from the Red Sea to southern Oman

Summary

Introduction

The family Mullidae is a commercially important demersal fish group distributed throughout the world’s seas It consists of 15 genera of which only Mullus, Upeneus and Pseudopeneus inhabit the Mediterranean Sea (Hureau, 1986; Golani, 1994). Mullus surmuletus L., 1758 is a benthic fish inhabiting deep rocky and sandy bottoms It is distributed throughout the Mediterranean Sea, in the Atlantic, from Norway to the Canary Island, in the Black Sea and in the north-western coasts of Africa. U. pori is a lessepsian migrant species which penetrates into the Mediterranean Sea through the Suez Channel (Ben-Tuvia and Golani, 1989) and inhabits the western Indian Ocean: from the Red Sea to southern Oman This species was first recorded by Kosswig (1950) as Upenoides (Upeneus) tragula in the eastern Mediterranean (Iskenderun Bay). The Pseudopeneus genus is represented with Pseudopeneus prayensis (Cuvier, 1829) found in the eastern Atlantic: Morocco to Angola

Objectives

Methods

Discussion

Conclusion