We morphologically analyzed 79 cephalopod specimens from the North and Baltic Seas belonging to 13 separate species. Another 29 specimens showed morphological features of either Alloteuthis mediaor Alloteuthis subulata or were found to be in between. Reliable identification features to distinguish between A. media and A. subulata are currently not available. The analysis of the DNA barcoding region of the COI gene revealed intraspecific distances (uncorrected p) ranging from 0 to 2.13 % (average 0.1 %) and interspecific distances between 3.31 and 22 % (average 15.52 %). All species formed monophyletic clusters in a neighbor-joining analysis and were supported by bootstrap values of C99 %. All COI haplotypes belonging to the 29 Alloteuthis specimens were grouped in one cluster. Neither COI nor 18S rDNA sequences helped to distinguish between the different Alloteuthis morphotypes. For species identification purposes, we recommend the use of COI, as it showed higher bootstrap support of species clusters and less amplification and sequencing failure compared to 18S. Our data strongly support the assumption that the genus Alloteuthis is only represented by a single species, at least in the North Sea. It remained unclear whether this species is A. subulata or A. media. All COI sequences including important metadata were uploaded to the Barcode of Life Data Systems and can be used as reference library for the molecular identification of more than 50 % of the cephalopod fauna known from the North and Baltic Seas.

Kin recognition can drive kin selection and the evolution of social behaviour. In zebrafish (Danio rerio, Hamilton 1822), kin recognition is based on olfactory and visual imprinting processes. If larvae are exposed to visual and chemical cues of kin at day 5 and 6 post fertilization they will recognize kin throughout life, while exposure to non-kin fails to trigger any recognition. Chemical imprinting signals are transcribed by polymorphic genes of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) code; however, the underlying mechanism for visual imprinting remains unclear. Here we provide evidence for the existence of family-specific differences in morphometry and pigmentation pattern of six day old zebrafish larvae. While rump, tail and body pigmentation were dependent on relatedness, iris pigmentation and morphometry were also influenced by MHC class II genotype. Our study revealed that the MHC not only influences the chemical signature of individuals, but also their visual appearance.

No abstract