Lutjanus Vitta Research Articles

Morphological and morphometric identification of snapper (Family Lutjanidae) that landed in the Pulau Balai Fishing Port, Aceh Singkil

Pulak Banyak are one of the areas in Indonesia that have potential fishery resources. Accurate range determination and species identification are essential parts of fisheries resource management and must be done. This study aims to obtain information on the various types of snapper landed through morphological and morphometric approaches. The research was conducted in Fishing Port, Pulau Balai village, Pulau Banyak sub-district from September to October 2023. The method used in this research is descriptive analysis to describe fish morphology and measure several morphometric characteristics of fish. There were 12 characters measured using a ruler. The results of the study found ten species of 2 genera part of the family Lutjanidae with 36 individuals landed at the study site, namely Lutjanus synergies, Pristipomoides typus, Lutjanus vitta, Lutjanus madras, Lutjanus argentimaculatus, Lutjanus decussatus, Lutjanus erythropterus, Lutjanus gibbus, Lutjanus malabaricus, and Lutjanus papuensis. All fish species encountered have different morphological and morphometric characteristics, and the bambangan fish (Lutjanus erythropterus) is the fish with the largest morphometric size in the study site.

Phylogenetic of red snapper (Lutjanidae) in Yapen Island Waters, Papua, Indonesia

Abstract. Sala R, Kusuma AB, Pranata B. 2022. Phylogenetic of red snapper (Lutjanidae) in Yapen Island Waters, Papua, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 23: 6428-6436. Red snappers are an economically valuable fishery resource. Most of these snapper species are inhabitants of coral reef ecosystems. A variety of red snapper species can be found in the northern waters of Papua, particularly in the Yapen Regency. However, information regarding the biological and ecological aspects of these fish is virtually unavailable. On the other hand, the utilization intensity of red snapper as a source of community income continues to increase. By using DNA barcode sequences, this study attempted to examine species diversity and relationships among Lutjanidae family species. The study was carried out from June to August 2022 in the waters of Yapen Regency by taking fish samples from the fish caught by local hand-lining fishers. Red snapper samples were identified morphologically and molecularly. According to molecular analyses, it was identified nine red snapper species from the genera of Lutjanus, Aphareus and Pristipomoides. The morphological characteristics of the species from the genus of Aphareus are similar to those from the genus of Pristipomoides yet different from those of the species from the genus of Lutjanus. The phylogenetic tree consisted of four clades with significant bootstrap values ranging from 98 to 99%. Clades 1, 2 and 3 comprise the species from the genus of Lutjanus, while clade 4 contains species from the genera of Aphareus and Pristipomoides. The greatest genetic distance was found between Lutjanus fulvus and Pristipomoides multidens, while the smallest genetic distance was found between Lutjanus vitta and Lutjanus ehrenbergii. Based on the study results, some management implications are discussed. For example, information on species biodiversity maps is needed to determine the target stock of a managed species so that management objectives are more focused on the species level and not on the genus or family level.

Microplastics in fishes as seabird preys in Jakarta Bay Area

There has been some growing research on plastics in fishes as human food in Indonesia, but none linked to fishes as seabirds’ prey. The objective of this research was to reveal whether there were microplastics in fishes as prey of little-black cormorant. The study site was the coastal area of Pulau Rambut Wildlife Sanctuary in Jakarta Bay, where the cormorants search for fish food. Fish samples (12-16.8 cm, 5 species; n=8) were collected by using fish-rod, at the usual fishing area of cormorants along the southern coast of the reserve. Gastrointestinal tracts of the samples were observed to find macro, meso and microplastic. After NaCl dilution, followed by observation using SRCC and microscope (10×10 magnification), followed by grouping based on type, color, and size. No macro or mesoplastic found. Total of 110 microplastics particles were found from all samples (range 7-26 particles/fish), with Lutjanus vitta having the highest number (15-26 particles/fish). Film (2-21 particles/fish) and fiber (1-10 particles/fish) were found, but no fragment. Transparent microplastics were found the most (57.3%), followed by blue (26.4%), black (10.0%), and red (6.4%). The size of the microplastic found were mostly (64.5%) between 100-1.000μm. A more intensive research is needed, as these sampled fishes might also consumed by human.

Does the benthic biota or fish assemblage within a large targeted fisheries closure differ to surrounding areas after 12 years of protection in tropical northwestern Australia?

A large (~2450 km2) offshore (~75 km) targeted fisheries closure (TFC) area was implemented on the North West Shelf of Australia (NWS) in 1998 as part of a suite of management controls to address overfishing concerns, and in the process to potentially mitigate any impacts of trawling to benthic habitats. Twelve years later, the benthic biota and fish assemblages in the TFC were assessed using stereo-video and compared with adjacent areas that have been consistently fished with a range of commercial fishing methods. The remote nature of the region has meant that these areas would be inaccessible to recreational fishers. After 12 years of protection there were significant differences between the TFC and comparable fished areas in both the composition and the height of biogenic structures, however the magnitude of these differences were subtle, except for branching soft corals, which were significantly taller in the TFC area. Despite the relatively young age of the TFC, significant differences in the fish abundance and biomass compositions were driven by the slower growing, longer lived and inherently less productive fishery target species. The abundance of Lutjanus sebae (red emperor) and Epinephelus multinotatus (Rankin cod), and the associated biomass of L. sebae and Pristipomoides multidens (goldband snapper) were all greater within the TFC. However, neither the abundance or biomass of the relatively shorter lived and more productive fishery species (e.g. the bluespotted emperor Lethrinus punctulatus and the brownstripe snapper Lutjanus vitta) were greater within the TFC. Growth rates of benthic biota across the NWS are unknown, however the limited detectable differences in benthic biota between the TFC and fished areas, suggests that either recovery of the benthic biota is slow and may not yet be at a threshold for detection and/or alternatively that current fishing activities are not causing adverse impacts to biogenic structures. These large, offshore targeted fishery closures provide a useful reference point to examine the natural variability, growth and recovery of benthic biota and fish assemblages after the cessation of fishing.

Physicochemical and sensory properties of deep fried battered squid containing Brownstripe red snapper (Lutjanus vitta) protein hydrolysate

Deep-fried food is a fast and convenient way to prepare food that imparts desirable sensory characteristics of colour, flavour and in particular, a smooth texture, yet has been labelled as not healthy by consumers. Incorporation of other ingredients in the formulation of the batter could reduce the fat absorption in deep-fried foods. This research was aimed to determine the physicochemical and sensory properties of Brownstripe red snapper protein hydrolysate (BRSPH) and its utilisation in reducing the oil intake of deep-fried foods. The BRSPH were extracted using the enzymatic method utilizing Alcalase® as the working enzyme. Batter formulations were prepared by adding 0%, 2%, 4%, 6% and 8% of BRSPH into the sample mixtures. Addition of BRSPH into the batter was found to increase hardness and crispness of deep-fat fried battered squids. The fat content of the deep-fat fried battered squids with 8% BRSPH powder was found to be the lowest compared to those added with 2%, 4% and 6%, while sample without BRSPH powder was the highest (30.15%). Deep-fat fried squids with 4% of BRSPH powder showed the best acceptability scores in terms of crispness, taste and overall acceptability, but no significant differences were determined in the crispness between deep-fat fried squids with and without BRSPH. The findings indicate that enzymatic hydrolysis using Alcalase® has the potential to yield BRSPH with a high degree of hydrolysis (98.19%), low molecular weight (10-15 kDa), and low oil binding capacity (2.38 g oil/ g protein). Enzymatic hydrolysis proved to be a viable technique to produce protein hydrolysate which able to reduce the oil uptake and healthier with high acceptability of the end products. Research on how to optimize the use of BRSPH with a high economic, nutritional and industrial potential of understated resources would allow for the implementation of manufacturing practices to enhance the use of resources and increase the value of the by-product. This approach will offer the potential use of BRSPH for the production of batter formulation which is efficient in the reduction of oil uptake

The Study of Morfometric and Meristic of Yellow Tail Fish Landed in Nusantara Fishery Harbour of Sungailiat, Bangka Regency

Caesionidae is one of the first commodity from a kind of varieties fishes in Nusantara Fishery Harbour (PPN) at Sungailiat, Bangka Regency. Caesionidae is consumption fish and become important food source for human. People call this fish as Yellow tail fish because it has yellow tail and the upper body of this fish is dominate by yellow colour. In scientific name, this fish named as caesiocuning. On local name, yellow tail fish named “delah”.This research aims to analyze the charachter of morphometric and meristic of yellow tail fish in PPN Sungailiat, Bangka Regency on December 2018 to januari 2019. The data was taken using random sampling method. This research takes 23 morfometric and 9 meristicparameters.The character of morphometric showed that the yellow fish tail has Total Length body 12-18,3cm. The characters of meristic of Yellow tail fusilier in PPN Sungailiat Bangka Regency showed has the formula of Dorsal Rays, Anal Rays, Pectoral Rays, Ventral Rays, and Caudal Rays in order are D.IX 15- D.X 15, A.III 9- A.III 11, P.18, V.19-V.20, and C.18-C.22. The final result of classification showsthat the name fish in PPN Sungailiat (Bangka Regency),is Lutjanus vitta (Lutjanidae).

Complete mitochondrial genome of Spanish flag snapper, Lutjanus carponotatus (Perciformes: Lutjanidae)

The comple mitogenome of Spanish flag snapper, Lutjanus carponotatus was determined by next generation sequencing (NGS) technique. The mitogenome of L. carponotatus (16,514 bp) habors 37 genes (22 tRNAs, 2 rRNAs, 13 polypeptides) and two non-coding regions, the origin of light strand replication (OL) and the putative control region (D-Loop). Among the 37 genes in L. carponotatus mitogenome, 28 were encoded on the H-strand, whereas only 9 were on the L-strand. Phylogenetic relationship showed that the full mitochondrial genome sequences L. carponotatus was most closely related to Lutjanus russellii with 93% sequence identity clustering with Lutjanus fulviflamma (92%) and Lutjanus vitta (91%).

Complete mitochondrial genome of brownstripe red snapper, Lutjanus vitta (Perciformes: Lutjanidae)

The complete mitochondrial genome of the brownstripe red snapper, Lutjanus vitta was determined by MiSeq sequencing platform. The mitogenome of L. vitta (16,498 bp) encoded the typical 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA genes, two rRNA genes, and two non-coding regions (origin of light strand replication; OL and D-Loop control region; CR). Phylogenetic analysis based on the full mitochondrial genome sequences showed that L. vitta is most closely related to L. russellii. The complete mitogenome sequence of L. vitta would provide the information of the genetic biodiversity in Lutjanus fishes, which would be further used for their scientific management in Indonesian waters.

New record of Spotstripe snapper, Lutjanus ophuysenii (Perciformes: Lutjanidae) from Korea

Three specimens of Lutjanus ophuysenii (217.8–226.7 mm in standard length) were collected by a gill net at Korea between August 2015 and July 2016. This species has not previously been recorded from Korea. L. ophuysenii is very similar to Lutjanus vitta. But several morphological characteristics distinguish the two species, including the number of lateral line scales (46–49 scales in L. ophuysenii; 49–52 scales in L. vitta), a black spot in the middle part of the longitudinal stripe (present in L. ophuysenii; absent in L. vitta), and the absence of a scale on posterior end of the preopercle in L. ophuysenii (present in L. vitta). The Korean name proposed for L. ophuysenii is “Jeom-jul-tung-dom.”

Age, Growth and Mortality of Brown Stripe Snapper Lutjanus vitta (Quoy and Gaimard 1824) from West Sulu Sea, Philippines

Age, Growth and Mortality of Brown Stripe Snapper Lutjanus vitta (Quoy and Gaimard 1824) from West Sulu Sea, Philippines

Age, growth and maturity of brown stripe snapper Lutjanus vitta (Quoy& Gaimard, 1824) from southwest coast of India

Growth, mortality, length-weight relationship, maturity and spawning of Lutjanus vitta were studied based on samples collected from 30 and 80 m depths along the southwest coast of India during October 1999 - December 2009. The von Bertalanffy growth equation was derived as L t = 32.5 (1-e-0.66 (t - 0.014)) during the year 2000; changes in these parameters during 2003-04 and 2007-08 are discussed in this paper. The lengthat-age was 12.3±1.36 cm, 18.9± 1.67 cm, 24.72± 1.58 cm, 28.9±0.98 cm and 31.5±0.94 cm in the I, II, III, IV and V year respectively. The annual natural, fishing and total mortality rates were 1.33, 0.85 and 2.18 respectively. The exploitation ratio (E) was 0.39, which indicates that this species is not under heavy fishing pressure. Recruitment was peak in March. Length-weight relationship was estimated for males and females, and later for the pooled data as W= 0.00000139 L 2.983. The relative condition factor (Kn) does not vary significantly among the size groups but the seasonal condition factor (K s) is comparatively lower in the smaller size group. Higher gonado-somatic index (GSI) was seen during August - December. The length-at-first maturity was 15.8 cm for female and 14.5 cm for male. During October and November, the one-year age group (12.5cm ( ) and 14 cm ( )) appeared in the spawning grounds and extended the spawning activity by performing batch fecundity. The relative fecundity ranged between 2,22,016 ± 28,543 and 5,21,482 ± 67,044 eggs/fish.

Two new gonad-infecting Philometra species (Nematoda: Philometridae) from the marine fish Lutjanus vitta (Perciformes: Lutjanidae) off New Caledonia

Two new gonad-infecting species of Philometra Costa, 1845 (Philometridae), P. brevicollis sp. n. and P. mira sp. n., are described from the ovary of the brownstripe red snapper, Lutjanus vitta (Quoy et Gaimard) (Lutjanidae, Perciformes), from the South Pacific Ocean off the coast of New Caledonia. Based on light and scanning electron microscopy examination, these new nematodes are compared with all other gonad-infecting species of Philometra. The former species (males and mature and gravid females available) mainly differs from its congeners in the length of males (5.39-5.92 mm), equally long spicules (279-312 microm), and the gubernaculum (151-168 microm), in that the distal end of the gubernaculum bears dorsolateral transverse lamella-like structures, and in the structure of the male caudal end. The latter species (only males available) is characterized by the length of males (3.47-3.66 mm), equally long spicules (96-105 microm), and the gubernaculum (78-84 microm), the absence of a dorsal reflected barb or lamella-like structures on the distal end of gubernaculum, and by the structure of the male caudal end. Judging from the occurrence in the host, P. brevicollis is the main philometrid parasitizing the gonads of L. vitta, in which it can reproduce, whereas this fish probably serves as only the paradefinitive host for P. mira. Both P. brevicollis and P. mira are the first nominal species of Philometra described from fishes of the family Lutjanidae.

Two new species of Cucullanus Müller, 1777 (Nematoda: Cucullanidae) from marine fishes off Thailand

Based on light and scanning electron microscopical observations, two new species of Cucullanus Müller, 1777 (Nematoda: Cucullanidae) are described from the intestine of marine perciform fishes in the coastal region of the Gulf of Thailand, Thailand: Cucullanus rastrelligeri n. sp. from the short mackerel Rastrelliger brachysoma (Bleeker) (Scombridae) and Cucullanus thaiensis n. sp. from the brownstripe red snapper Lutjanus vitta (Quoy & Gaimard) (Lutjanidae). The former species, C. rastrelligeri, is mainly characterised by an elongate pseudobuccal capsule, the presence of a ventral sucker, markedly short spicules (306-360 μm), a median papilla-like formation on the anterior anal lip and a distinctly elevated posterior anal lip, the location of the deirids and excretory pore, and by the distribution of genital papillae in the male. The latter species, C. thaiensis, is characterised by a broad pseudobuccal capsule, the presence of a ventral sucker and spicules 680 μm long. It is morphologically closest to C. pargi González-Solís, Tuz-Paredez & Quintal-Loria, 2007, but differs from it mainly in the distribution of the genital papillae in the male and apparently larger gravid females, and, whereas C. thaiensis occurs in the West Pacific (Gulf of Thailand), C. pargi was described from the West Atlantic (Caribbean Sea). C. rastrelligeri and C. thaiensis are the first nominal species of cucullanid nematodes reported from marine fishes in Thai waters. Indocucullanus thapari Gupta & Srivastava, 1984 is transferred to Cucullanus as C. thapari (Gupta & Srivastava, 1984) n. comb.

The effects of pretreatments on antioxidative activities of protein hydrolysate from the muscle of brownstripe red snapper ( Lutjanus vitta)

Different pretreatments of mince from brownstripe red snapper ( Lutjanus vitta) including 1) washing; 2) membrane separation; 3) washing followed by membrane separation and 4) membrane separation followed by washing were conducted prior to hydrolysis. Among the resulting minces, that subjected to membrane separation with subsequent washing (MS/W) contained the lowest remaining myoglobin content, phospholipid content, heme iron and non-heme iron contents ( p < 0.05) and showed the lowest TBARS values throughout 9 days of storage at 4 °C in the presence and absence of 0.15 mol L −1 cupric acetate ( p < 0.05). When hydrolysates from 1) mince, 2) MS/W and 3) protein isolate from MS/W (PI) with different degree of hydrolysis (DH) (20, 30 and 40%) were prepared using proteases from pyloric caeca of brownstripe red snapper, antioxidative activities determined by DPPH, ABTS radical scavenging activities, ferric reducing antioxidant power and metal chelating activity varied with hydrolysates and DH. Antioxidative activities increased with increasing DH up to 40% ( p < 0.05). At all DH tested, hydrolysate prepared from MS/W exhibited the highest antioxidative activities determined by all assays, compared to those from mince and PI ( p < 0.05). Hydrolysate from MS/W with 40% DH had the molecular weight lower than 6.5 kDa as determined by SDS-PAGE. In liposome oxidation system, the addition of hydrolysate from MS/W resulted in the lower TBARS, compared with the control throughout the incubation period of 48 h at room temperature (25–28 °C). Therefore, fish mince with membrane separation followed by washing was the most appropriate source for production of hydrolysate possessing antioxidative activity with the lowered amount of lipids and pro-oxidants.

Cryptic species of Euryakaina n. g. (Digenea: Cryptogonimidae) from sympatric lutjanids in the Indo-West Pacific

A survey of the endohelminth fauna of Indo-West Pacific Lutjanidae (Perciformes) revealed the presence of the species Siphoderina manilensis (Velasquez, 1961) Miller & Cribb, 2008 and S. marina (Hafeezullah & Siddiqi, 1970) Miller & Cribb, 2008 in seven Lutjanus spp. from sites off the Great Barrier Reef, the Maldives, New Caledonia and Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia. A combination of morphological and ribosomal DNA analyses of these cryptogonimids prompted the transfer of these taxa to a new genus, Euryakaina n. g., as E. manilensis n. comb. and E. marina n. comb., based on comparative analysis with other cryptogonimid taxa. Euryakaina n. g. is distinguished from all other cryptogonimid genera by the combination of a fusiform body, the few relatively small, widely spaced oral spines (sometimes absent), a highly lobed ovary, opposite to slightly oblique testes, vitelline follicles that extend from the anterior margin of the testes to slightly posterior to the intestinal bifurcation, and an excretory vesicle that bifurcates dorsal to the ovary and reunites briefly slightly posterior to the intestinal bifurcation. Morphometric analysis of these taxa alone suggests they should be reduced to synonymy, but DNA sequence analyses and ecological niche partitioning provide evidence that they form a cryptic species complex in sympatric lutjanids in the Indo-West Pacific. The secondary structure of the ITS2 rDNA for species of Euryakaina was also modelled and analysed for the presences of compensatory base changes (CBCs) or hemi-CBCs in order to explore the usefulness of these changes as a tool to help elucidate the taxonomy of this complex system. We also report what we interpret here as intraspecific variation in the ITS2 rDNA between individuals of E. manilensis from Lutjanus vitta recovered off the Great Barrier Reef and New Caledonia.

Antioxidative and ACE inhibitory activities of protein hydrolysates from the muscle of brownstripe red snapper prepared using pyloric caeca and commercial proteases

Protein hydrolysates from the muscle of brownstripe red snapper ( Lutjanus vitta) prepared using Alcalase or Flavourzyme as the first step with 40% degree of hydrolysis (DH), followed by hydrolysis with pyloric caeca protease (PCP) as the second step for 2 (HAP) and 1 h (HFP), respectively, were prepared and determined for their antioxidative and angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activities. HAP had the higher DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activity and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), while HFP showed the higher ferrous chelating activity and ACE inhibitory activity ( p < 0.05). Both HAP and HFP were able to retard lipid oxidations in lecithin–liposome and β-carotene–linoleic acid oxidation model systems in dose-dependent manner. HAP and HFP contained 87.36 and 86.55% protein (wet basis), respectively with glutamic acid/glutamine as the major amino acids, followed by aspartic acid/asparagine, lysine, alanine and leucine, respectively. HFP showed a slightly greater efficiency in prevention of lipid oxidation in all systems tested. Antioxidative activities, except DPPH radical scavenging activity, of both HAP and HFP after being subjected to gastrointestinal tract model system (GIMs) increased, suggesting the enhancement of antioxidative activities of both hydrolysates after ingestion.

Purification and characterization of trypsin from the pyloric caeca of brownstripe red snapper (Lutjanus vitta)

Abstract Trypsin was purified from the pyloric caeca of brownstripe red snapper (Lutjanus vitta) by ammonium sulphate (40–60% saturation) precipitation, soybean trypsin inhibitor (SBTI)-Sepharose 4B column and DEAE-Sephacel column chromatography. Purified trypsin showed a single band on sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS–PAGE) and native-PAGE. A yield of 4.9% with the purification-fold of 20 was obtained. Trypsin had an apparent molecular weight of 23 kDa. SBTI and N-ρ-tosyl- l -lysine-chloromethylketone (TLCK) showed a strong inhibitory effect on the purified trypsin, while other protease inhibitors exhibited negligible inhibition. Trypsin had maximal activity at pH 8.5 and 60 °C for the hydrolysis of α-N-benzoyl- dl -arginine-ρ-nitroanilide (BAPNA). It was stable within the temperature range of 25–55 °C and pH range of 7.0–10.0. Purified trypsin had a Michaelis–Menten constant (Km) and catalytic constant (kcat) of 0.507 mM and 4.71 s−1, respectively, when BAPNA was used as the substrate. For the hydrolysis of α-N-ρ-tosyl- l -arginine methyl ester (TAME), Km and kcat were 0.328 mM and 112 s−1, respectively.

Comparative study on the proteases from fish pyloric caeca and the use for production of gelatin hydrolysate with antioxidative activity

Proteases from pyloric caeca extract of three fish species including brownstripe red snapper ( Lutjanus vitta), bigeye snapper ( Priacanthus tayenus) and threadfin bream ( Nemipterus marginatus) were comparatively studied. The extracts from bigeye snapper and threadfin bream exhibited the highest hydrolytic activities toward casein, α- N-benzoyl- dl-arginine- p-nitroanilide and α- N- ρ-tosyl- l-arginine methyl ester at pH 8.0 and 60 °C and pH 8.5 and 55 °C, respectively. The extract of brownstripe red snapper showed the optimal pH and temperature of 8.0 and 60 °C with all substrates used except the optimal temperature was 65 °C when casein was used. All proteases were strongly inhibited by soybean trypsin inhibitor (SBTI) and N- ρ-tosyl- l-lysine chloromethylketone (TLCK) and partially inhibited by N-tosyl- l-phenylalanine chloromethylketone for all substrates tested, suggesting that trypsin-like proteases were the major enzymes. Substrate-gel activity staining of 40–60% ammonium sulfate (AS) fraction revealed that major activity bands were observed with molecular mass of 24, 22 and 20 kDa for brownstripe red snapper, bigeye snapper and threadfin bream, respectively. Those activity bands were partially inhibited by SBTI and TLCK. AS fraction was further used to produce gelatin hydrolysate from the skin of brownstripe red snapper with different degrees of hydrolysis (DH). Hydrolysate with DH of 15% exhibited the highest DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activities and ferric reducing antioxidant power ( p < 0.05). Therefore, the extract from pyloric caeca could be used to produce the gelatin hydrolysates possessing antioxidative activities.

Some philometrid nematodes (Philometridae), including four new species of Philometra, from marine fishes off New Caledonia

AbstractExaminations of marine fishes off New Caledonia, South Pacific, carried out in 2003–2006, yielded some nematodes of the genus Philometra Costa, 1845, including the following three new species: P. cyanopodi sp. nov. (males and subgravid females) and P. lethrini sp. nov. (males and subgravid females) from the gonads of Epinephelus cyanopodus (Richardson) (Serranidae) and Lethrinus genivittatus Valenciennes (Lethrinidae), respectively, and P. lagocephali sp. nov. (gravid female) from the abdominal cavity of Lagocephalus sceleratus (Gmelin) (Tetraodontidae). Another congeneric species P. fasciati sp. nov. from the gonads of Epinephelus fasciatus (Forsskål) (Serranidae), originally reported as P. lateolabracis (Yamaguti, 1935), has been established with reference to the description of males and a mature female published by Moravec and Justine (2005). The new species are characterized mainly by the length of spicules and the length and structure of the gubernaculum, structure of the male caudal end (except for P. lagocephali), body size, location in the host and by the types of hosts. In addition, Philometra sp. (subgravid females) from the gonads of Lutjanus vitta (Quoy et Gaimard) (Lutjanidae) and Philometra cf. ocularis Moravec et al., 2002 (gravid female) from the oculo-orbit of Epinephelus areolatus (Forsskål) were found, the latter representing a new host record.

Genetic diversity and molecular markers of five snapper species

AbstractIn order to protect and develop valuable snappers (Lutjanus spp.), genetic diversity and molecular markers of five species (Lutjanus vitta, L. fulvus, L. fulviflamma, L. sebae and L. stellatus) were detected and analysed using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and simple sequence repeats (SSR) techniques. The polymorphic loci ratio (P) (86.00–92.11%), the mean intraspecies genetic distances (D) (0.1775–0.3431) and the intraspecies genetic diversity indexes (Hi) (0.1022–0.1634) were calculated using the RAPD technique. The genetic diversities of L. fulviflamma and L. vitta were richest in terms of P, and D and Hi, respectively. The results of SSR showed that low effective numbers of alleles (1.7893–3.6591), medium average heterozygosities (0.332–0.676) and medium polymorphism information contents (PIC) (0.302–0.641) occurred in five species of snappers, indicating comparatively rich genetic diversity among these fish. Nine molecular markers in the products amplified by primers OPA8 and OPP10, and six molecular markers in 11 microsatellite loci were found to be useful as specific markers to identify five species of snappers. Two neighbour-joining (NJ) dendrograms based on the results of RAPD and SSR suggested that L. stellatus and L. sebae are closely related and clustered in one branch, with L. vitta, L. fulviflamma and L. fulvus in the other.