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Issue: Vol. 5550 No. 1: 10 Dec. 2024
Type: Article
Published: 2024-12-10
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5550.1.14
Page range: 133-144
Abstract views: 148
PDF downloaded: 117

First record of the blue-and-yellow grouper Epinephelus flavocaeruleus (Lacepède 1802) (Perciformes: Epinephelidae) from the Borneo waters, Malaysia

Institute of Ocean and Earth Science; University of Malaya; Kuala Lumpur 50603; Malaysia
Institute of Ocean and Earth Science; University of Malaya; Kuala Lumpur 50603; Malaysia
Key Laboratory of Marine Ecological Conservation and Restoration; Third Institute of Oceanography; Ministry of Natural Resources; Xiamen 361005; China
Asian School of the Environment (ASE); 50 Nanyang Avenue; Nanyang Technological University; 639798; Singapore
Key Laboratory of Marine Ecological Conservation and Restoration; Third Institute of Oceanography; Ministry of Natural Resources; Xiamen 361005; China
Key Laboratory of Marine Ecological Conservation and Restoration; Third Institute of Oceanography; Ministry of Natural Resources; Xiamen 361005; China
Key Laboratory of Marine Ecological Conservation and Restoration; Third Institute of Oceanography; Ministry of Natural Resources; Xiamen 361005; China
Pisces First records taxonomy DNA barcode haplotype network grouper

Abstract

Groupers of the family Epinephelidae constitute a diverse and commercially valuable group of reef fishes globally. They comprise an assemblage of carnivorous marine fishes, comprising more than 177 species across 16 genera. The epinephelid genus Epinephelus, which consists of over 90 species, is found worldwide in the tropics and subtropics. To date, the ichthyofauna of Malaysia has documented a total of 43 epinephelid species. Apart from these, Epinephelus flavocaeruleus (Lacepède, 1802), commonly known as the blue-and-yellow grouper, is rarely reported in the Indo-Pacific Ocean. The present study extends the documented distribution range of E. flavocaeruleus eastwards from the Andaman Sea to the Borneo waters of Sabah, Malaysia. Five specimens of the blue-and-yellow grouper were collected from a local fish market. Species identification was confirmed by the color patterns and DNA barcoding of 630 base pairs of the cytochrome C oxidase I gene for all E. flavocaeruleus specimens, Epinephelus cyanopodus (Richardson, 1846), and 10 closely related Epinephelus species. The interspecies genetic distance ranged from 0.002–0.168. Results from the Templeton, Crandall, and Sing (TCS) haplotype network analysis and maximum likelihood phylogeny based on the COI marker indicate a close genetic relationship between E. flavocaeruleus and E. cyanopodus. However, we refrain from proposing any taxonomic revisions given that more in-depth studies using multiple molecular markers or phylogenomic analysis on a larger sample size are necessary to confirm the taxonomic status of both species. This study significantly contributes to a better understanding of the taxonomy, phylogenetic relationship, and genetic diversity of E. flavocaeruleus.

 

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