Molecular evidence that the lionfishes Pterois miles and Pterois volitans are distinct species

UNCW Author/Contributor (non-UNCW co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)

Wilson Freshwater, Research Specialist (Creator)

Institution

The University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW )

Web Site: http://library.uncw.edu/

Abstract: The lionfish species Pterois miles and P. volitans are popular aquarium fishes that have gained recent notoriety as invasive species along the east coast of the United States and the Bahamas. The two species can usually be identified using dorsal and anal fin ray counts as well as geographic origin, but neither meristics nor geography are always definitive, and their taxonomic status as separate species has been questioned. Analyses of two mitochondria-encoded cytochrome b sequence data sets resolved specimens of P. miles and P. volitans in distinct monophyletic clades. There was also a .4% difference in the maximum intraspecific and minimum interspecific sequence divergences between specimens of the two species. These results are comparable to those of other analyzed Pterois and Dendrochirus sister species, and support their recognition as separate species. The cytochrome b analyses also show that Dendrochirus and Pterois are not reciprocally monophyletic as currently circumscribed, and that a comprehensive study is needed to resolve the taxonomy of Pteroinae genera

Molecular evidence that the lionfishes Pterois miles and Pterois volitans are distinct species
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Additional Information

Publication

Freshwater, D., Hamner, R. M., Parham, S., & Wilbur, A. E. (2009). Molecular evidence that the lionfishes Pterois miles and Pterois volitans are distinct species. Journal of the North Carolina Academy of Science, 125(2), 39-46. Retrieved from http://dc.lib.unc.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/jncas/id/3939/rec/4

Language: English

Date: 2009

Keywords

Dendrochirus, Invasive species, Lionfish, Mitochondrial control region, Molecular systematics, Pterois, Pterois miles, Pterois volitans, Pteroinae, Scorpaenidae.

Subjects

Scorpionfishes

Pterois miles

Pterois volitans

Biology--Classification--Molecular aspects

Pterois

Introduced organisms--Atlantic Coast (U.S.)

Introduced organisms--Bahamas

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