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Despite ongoing efforts to protect species and ecosystems in the egyptian costs of the Red Sea and Mediterranean Sea, habitat degradation, overfishing and pollution have posed serious challenges to marine natural resources. In spite of the accumulated knowledge on the systematics of commercial fishes in Egypt recent results suggested that we are far from having a complete picture of egyptian fish diversity. The accurate identification of species is a very important component in many fields of biological research and conservation efforts. The high level of expertise and time consuming process needed means a loss in biodiversity. Successful species identification is now frequently based on a combination of approaches including morphometrics and the sequencing of the mitochondrial COI gene known as the DNA barcoding. This study employed COI sequencing alongside traditional taxonomic identification methods and uncovered cryptic diversity within the goat fish species of Family Mullidae, four species collected from both the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. Upeneus pori, Upeneus vittatus, Mullus surmuletus and Mullus barbatus samples from the Red Sea and the Mediterranean were clustered separately in a NJ tree indicating the possibility of the presence of cryptic species complex. All species could be differentiated by their COI sequence.

East Africa to the Ryukyu Islands, New Caledonia and recently reported from Tonga (Randall et al., 2003). Moreover, Bagnis et al. (1984) reported it from French Polynesian islands. It may be a misidentification of Lethrinus rubrioperculatus (Carpenter & Allen, 1989). They are carnivorous bottom feeding mainly on benthic invertebrates or fishes (Sommer et al., 1996). Lethrinids have economically and commercially importance because of their preferable taste, highly valued food protein and the high local market price.

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Eight economic species were recorded in the water area of Abu Qir, where Nemiptrus randalli was the most dominant caught by bottom trawl nets. While, Callionymus falimentosus and Equulites kluzingeri were the more dominant noneconomic species caught by bottom trawls among six recorded in the mentioned area.Furthermore, economic species, such as Upeneus pori caught by bottom trawlers, was found in Marsa Matruh. On the other hand, rare species were detected in Damietta, El-Agami and El Dabaa.