DNA barcodes of eight species in genus Sebastes

DNA barcode is effective for biological taxonomy and is able to identify species from any life-history stage. In the present study, eight species which belong to four different subgenera of genus Sebastes found in China sea waters were identified by cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) barcode. The results indicated that the intra-species variation in DNA barcode was less than inter-species variation. When the phylogenetic trees were reconstructed by neighbor joining (NJ), maximum parsimony (MP), maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian methods, all the species clustered in their groups distinguishable by high bootstrap values, which proved that COI barcode is a powerful means to differentiate species of Sebastes and supports their identification. When the molecular tree was compared to the morphological tree, only Sebastes trivittatus in subgenus Sebastocles settled in the different positions. It is suggested that S. trivittatus is one of the shallowest occurring species in the Northwest Pacific due to its life characters.