Identification of a uniquely southern African clade of coastal pipefishes Syngnathus spp |
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| Authors: | M Mwale H Kaiser N P Barker P R Teske |
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| Institution: | 1. South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB), , Grahamstown, 6140 South Africa;2. Department of Ichthyology and Fisheries Science, Rhodes University, , Grahamstown, 6140 South Africa;3. Botany Department, Rhodes University, , Grahamstown, 6140 South Africa |
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| Abstract: | The taxonomic status of two southern African coastal pipefish species, Syngnathus temminckii and Syngnathus watermeyeri, was investigated using a combination of morphological and genetic data. Morphological data showed that S. temminckii is distinct from the broadly distributed European pipefish Syngnathus acus, and a molecular phylogeny reconstructed using mitochondrial DNA recovered S. temminckii and S. watermeyeri as sister taxa. The southern African species share an evolutionary origin with north‐eastern Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea species, including S. acus. These data support the existence of a distinct southern African clade of Syngnathus pipefishes that has diverged in situ to form the two species present in the region today. |
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| Keywords: | mitochondrial DNA morphometrics phylogeny Syngnathus acus Syngnathus temminckii Syngnathus watermeyeri |
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