Molecular systematic analysis and morphological differentiations of the gurnard species in Turkish marine waters
摘要
Systematic analysis of the gurnard species belonging to Dactylopteridae and Triglidae families from Turkish marine waters was comprehensively investigated using molecular data based on mitochondrial Cytochrome c oxidase subunit III (COIII) and 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) sequences together with morphological characters. Mean haplotype (Hd) and nucleotide diversity (π) were found at 0.9546 and 0.0021 for COIII, 0.9261 and 0.0025 for 16S rRNA, respectively. The lowest genetic distance for both genes was observed between L. cavillone and L. dieuzeidei (0.0022 for COIII, 0.0023 for 16S rRNA), whereas the highest genetic differentiation was found between C. cuculus and P. cataphractum (0.4856) for COIII and between D. volitans and L. cavillone (0.1199) for 16S rRNA. The highest morphological differentiation was detected between D. volitans and P. cataphractum, while the lowest was between L. cavillone and L. dieuzeidei. Bayesian inference (BI) topologies derived from COIII and 16S rRNA markers demonstrated the monophyletic structure of the Triglidae family, while a non-monophyletic pattern for the genus Chelidonichthys. Bayesian Poisson Tree Processes (bPTP) species delimitation analysis identified three main lineages for both COIII and 16S rRNA datasets. The genetic and morphological data partially supported each other.