title: Molecular based phylogenetic species recognition in the genus Pampus (Perciformes: Stromateidae) reveals hidden diversity in the Indian Ocean.
abstract: Pomfrets (Genus Pampus) are commercially important fishes in the Indo Pacific region. The systematics of this genus is complicated due to morphological similarities between species. The silver pomfret from Indian waters has long been considered to be Pampus argenteus. The objective of the study was to utilize the mitochondrial COI gene to establish the molecular identity of the silver pomfret distributed in Indian waters and to resolve the phylogenetic relationships among Pampus species in the world based on sequence data in the NCBI database. Seven valid Pampus species are identified in this study. The mean genetic divergence value calculated between clades representing these species was 7.9%. The mean genetic distance between the so-called Pampus argenteus from Indian waters and sequences attributed to P. argenteus from the South China Sea, where the neotype of this species was collected, was found to be greater than 12%, strongly supporting the likelihood of the Indian species being distinct. The Indian Pampus species show very close affinity to P. cinereus, with inter species differences less than 2%. The taxonomic identity of the silver pomfret in India is also discussed here, in light of molecular and morphological evidence.
authors.affiliation: Peninsular and Marine Fish Genetic Resources Centre, NBFGR, CMFRI Campus, Cochin 682018, India. Electronic address: divyanbfgr@gmail.com.
authors.forename: P R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Divya
authors.affiliation: Peninsular and Marine Fish Genetic Resources Centre, NBFGR, CMFRI Campus, Cochin 682018, India.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mohitha
authors.affiliation: Peninsular and Marine Fish Genetic Resources Centre, NBFGR, CMFRI Campus, Cochin 682018, India.
authors.forename: G Kumar
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Rahul
authors.affiliation: Peninsular and Marine Fish Genetic Resources Centre, NBFGR, CMFRI Campus, Cochin 682018, India.
authors.forename: C P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Rajool Shanis
authors.affiliation: Peninsular and Marine Fish Genetic Resources Centre, NBFGR, CMFRI Campus, Cochin 682018, India.
authors.forename: V S
authors.initials: VS
authors.lastname: Basheer
authors.affiliation: Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Cochin 682018, India.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gopalakrishnan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005843:Geography; D019156:Indian Ocean; D010473:Perciformes / Q000235:genetics*; D010802:Phylogeny; D013045:Species Specificity
keywords: COI; Distinct species; Molecular phylogeny; Pampus argenteus