- Adriana Vella
Conservation Biology Research Group, Department of Biology, University of Malta, Msida MSD2080, Malta
adriana.vella@um.edu.mt - Noel Vella
Conservation Biology Research Group, Department of Biology, University of Malta, Msida MSD2080, Malta
Volume 1 - No: 3
Genetic barcoding and preliminary phylogenetic analysis of Serranidae species from Maltese coastal waters, with a perspective on their Mediterranean phylogeography
DOI: 10.28978/nesciences.286369
Keywords: Serranidae; DNA barcoding; phylogenetics; phylogeography; COI; Cyt b
Abstract
Ten species of the Serranidae Family sampled from the Mediterranean, including two non-native species, were identified using molecular genetic tools. Two mitochondrial genes, cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and Cytochrome b (Cyt b) genes were studied covering a total of 980 bp of which 360 bp exhibited genetic differences. Within species the members of the genus Serranus exhibited the highest haplotypic diversity, while the genera of larger grouper taxa have shown low haplotypic and nucleotide diversity indices with these genetic markers. Each sequence was also checked against BOLD and GenBank databases to compare species categorization. COI data on S. cabrilla and S. scriba were used in a preliminary phylogeographic analyses for these two species. Results show significant differences between certain sampling locations, indicating localized populations within the Mediterranean.