Variability of tilapias (Oreochromis spp.) introduced in Mexico: morphometric, meristic and genetic characters

In Mexico, the tilapia Oreochromis provides one of the most important sources of animal protein and income in a wide variety of communities throughout the country, however, their culture and production face severe problems because of lack of management information. Evaluated in the present study is the degree of morphological, meristic and allozyme variation of two tilapia strains, two species and one hybrid from two important reservoirs in Mexico, two tilapia fry production farms (TFPF) and an experimental production system (EPS), to diagnose the actual status and degree of variation among them. Twenty‐two presumptive loci were utilized to determine the genetic variation, structuring and distances among samples. Multivariate analyses of 11 meristic and 33 morphometric characters were also evaluated, including the distance from the end of the mouth opening to the most anterior dorsal fin (0.9894), distance from the anal fin base to the anterior part of the caudal fin (0.9845) and the base length of the dorsal fin (0.9839) which contributed to the separation of groups. The canonical discriminant functions for the morphometric and meristic variables show that the correct classification of the organisms in percentages and in the sites of origin was on average 72%. The tilapia from the reservoirs and the experimental production system had higher genetic variations than tilapia from the fry production farms (average H_e 0.310, 0.062, 0.151 for Metztitlan, Infiernillo and EPS, respectively, vs 0.024 and 0.000 for Los Amates and Zacatepec, respectively). The genetic data indicate that fishes of the TFPF should be monitored closely, as they are the main source of dispersion to the reservoirs. Present results show that these data could be a fast and reliable aid to the fisheries and management of tilapia in Mexico.     

Morphological and genetic variation in seven species of the endangered Chirostoma "humboldtianum species group" (Atheriniformes: Atherinopsidae)

The Chirostoma "humboldtianum" group includes seven silverside species considered as a monophyletic assemblage because of their high genetic and morphological similarities. The group includes five moderately large species, "peces blancos" (117-300 mm standard length--SL) and two smaller species, "charales" (70-142 mm SL). These species are of great economical, cultural and ichthyological interest for local populations, and their management practices are controversial. We investigated the morphometric, meristic and allozyme variations of the seven species (13 populations) and related the variations with life history, habitat and management procedures. Nineteen morphometric variables, eight meristic variables (by multivariate analysis) and 23 allozyme loci of the seven species and populations of Chirostoma were compared. Principal component analysis (PC) of morphometric and meristic data indicate that both sets of data provided information to differentiate among the seven species. The variables that accounted for most of this differentiation were head length (HL), predorsal 1 length (PIL) and length of pelvic fin base (PfbL). PC and Discriminant Analysis (DA) with morphometric data also suggested the differentiation of populations within C. grandocule (83% correctly classified organisms), whereas PC and DA with meristic data differentiated populations of C. humboldtianum (80% correctly classified organisms). The most important morphometric variables for the differentiation were anal fin height (AfH), length of anal fin base (AfbL) and predorsal 2 length (P2L) and the meristic variables D2fR. PdS and AfR. The genetic variability data indicate changes in values of some of the species in relation to previously reported data. The present populations of C. grandocule show a reduction in He (0.002 vs. 0.009). Other species showed an increase; for instance, C. consocium consocium, C. humboldtianum, C. lucius, C. promelas and C. sphyraena averaged He = 0.069 vs 0.027. theta indicated significant genetic differentiation among the analysed species (0.247, S.D. 0.159) and theta s supported the morphological data that suggest intra-specific differentiation (0.360, S. D. 0.154).     

“Colonization routes and demographic history of Chirostoma humboldtianum in the central Mexican plateau”

In the present study we evaluate the population structure and potential colonization routes of the silverside Chirostoma humboldtianum through approximate Bayesian computations. Six microsatellite loci were amplified in a total of 288 individuals from six different locations covering the complete geographic distribution of the species. Additionally, two mitochondrial DNA markers, a D loop control region and cytochrome b were amplified in a subset of 107 individuals. The results found with microsatellites allow recovering well-structured populations that have experienced a drastic reduction in the effective population size. On the other hand, mtDNA sequences showed a moderate phylogeographic structure with shared haplotypes between geographic localities and signalsof a slight increase in the effective population size. Finally, the approximate Bayesian computation analysis performed with both datasets suggested a west-to-east colonization route for the species in Central Mexico.     

Phylogeographic patterns and species delimitation in the endangered silverside “humboldtianum” clade (Pisces: Atherinopsidae) in central Mexico: understanding their evolutionary history

The Atherinopsidae is the second largest group of freshwater fishes occupying central Mexico and is one of biological, cultural, and economic importance. The “humboldtianum” clade (Genus Chirostoma) is a “species flock” of nine described species that inhabit lacustrine ecosystems in central Mexico. The high morphological polymorphism within the group makes species identification difficult and thereby limits the development of research and management projects focusing on this group. In this study, we used phylogeographic and coalescent-based methods to understand the evolution of genetic variation among these species. The results revealed taxonomic inaccuracies and genetic admixture among species. Genetic variation was structured geographically, rather than taxonomically, and five closely related genetic groups were recovered. Two evolutionary pathways were found. First, a novel geographical arrangement of haplotypes was recovered that gave rise to the five recently (Pleistocene, <?1 Myr) derived genetic groups. The second pathway showed a recent intra-lacustrine genetic differentiation that could be associated with sympatric or ecological speciation. The current classification of the group is revised and includes a reduction in the number of valid species in the “humboldtianum” clade. Moreover, this study provides new insight into the biogeography and evolutionary history of this important group of fishes.

     

The complete mitochondrial genomes of two octopods of the eastern Pacific Ocean: Octopus mimus and ‘Octopus’ fitchi (Cephalopoda: Octopodidae) and their phylogenetic position within Octopoda

Molecular Biology Reports - The complete mitochondrial genomes of two important octopus species from the eastern Pacific were sequenced, obtaining their complete nucleotide sequences. Octopus mimus...