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Keywords
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Epinephelus coioides, Misidentification, D-loop, Genetic structure, Persian Gulf, Oman Sea
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Abstract
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Many ecologically important and valuable fisheries marine species have been
misidentified in terms of both the statistical data and market demand. Correct
identification at the species level and the population genetic structure of the
orange-spotted grouper (Epinephelus coioides), a precious fish in the Persian Gulf and
the Oman Sea, was tested using mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (DNA
barcoding) and D-loop sequencing. The results revealed that the Epinephelus species
found in the region, including E. coioides, E. bleekeri, E. polylepis, and E. chlorostigma
were all mistakenly grouped together and identified as only E. coioides. Moreover, the
analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) of E. coioides samples using the D-loop
showed a significantly unique genetic structure (ΦST = 0.068, p < 0.001) within the
E. coioides population throughout the Persian Gulf and the Oman Sea, with the
pairwise genetic difference between sampling locations in UAE and the Iranian coast.
Moreover, D-loop sequences analysis showed two distinct haplotype groups scattered
among the sampling locations, which did not correlate with the geographic distance
between the sampling locations. These findings indicate that the issue of
misidentification should be highlighted in the management and conservation of
E. coioides. As this type of misidentification is likely to happen to other threatened
marine species as well, the efficacy of using genetic markers for the correct
identification, both at the species and the population level, is vital.
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