Untitled

Abstract

Interspecific and intraspecific differentiation of the picarel in Turkish coastal waters were examined using partial 16S rRNA (1021 bp) and whole cytochrome b gene (1141 bp) sequences of 244 samples from 7 picarel populations across their geographical distribution. Genetic distances and phylogenetic tree topologies revealed that three Spicara species were distinctly separated from each other and S. flexuosa and S. maena are genetically more closely related than S. smaris. Lowlevel genetic diversity and a star-like haplotype network can be attributed to the founder effect associated with demographic bottleneck in late Pleistocene Mediterranean basin. AMOVA of the genetic substructure for S. flexuosa does not support any grouping in the Turkish waters. The divergence time between the Mediterranean and Black Sea populations (0.015%, cyt b) of S. flexuosa estimated based on the mtDNA clock calibration of 2% sequence per million years suggests that the Mediterranean samples with reduced genetic diversity has colonized into the Black Sea through straits during the early Holocene (about 7500 kya). The current distribution and demographic pattern of Spicara species in the Eastern Mediterranean basin are shaped by climatic events during late Pleistocene and mid-Holocene (about 25-5 kya) and the biological and ecological characteristics specific to Spicara species.

Molecular characterization and phylogeography of Mediterranean picarels (Spicara flexuosa, S. maena and S. smaris) along the coasts of Turkey and the Eastern Mediterranean

“…Interestingly, other studies along the Turkish coast, consider S. flexuosa and S. maena to be conspecific (Karakulak et al, 2006;Soykan et al, 2010;Keskin et al, 2011;Saygılı et al, 2016;Froese and Pauly, 2017). The result of this study indicates that the distinction of the three taxa under Spicara species is possible, as shown in previous studies (Chiba et al, 2009;Imsiridou et al, 2011;Georgiadis et al, 2014;Bektaş et al, 2018).…”

“…Consequently, some studies (Quero et al, 2003;Eschmeyer, 2010;Froese and Pauly, 2020) suggest that S. maena and S. flexuosa should be considered as synonyms whereas others (Tortonose, 1986;Fischer et al, 1987;Costa, 1991;Louisy, 2002;Golani et al, 2006;Vasileva, 2007;Bilecenoğlu et al, 2014) support the distinction of the two species. More recent studies based on both genetic (Chiba et al, 2009;Imsiridou et al, 2011;Georgiadis et al, 2014;Bektaş et al, 2018) and morphological data (Minos et al, 2013) also support the latter conclusion. The discrepancy is reflected in various fish-related taxonomic databases as well.…”

“…In contrast, all 23 samples collected from Greece were found to be S. maena, in accordance with their morphological identification during collection. In several former studies, S. flexuosa was reported to be present in the Turkish coastal waters (Tortonose, 1986;Salekhova, 1979;Fischer et al, 1987;Nelson, 1994;Ragonese et al, 2004;Golani et al, 2006;Turan et al, 2007;Turan, 2011;Bektaş et al, 2018). Interestingly, other studies along the Turkish coast, consider S. flexuosa and S. maena to be conspecific (Karakulak et al, 2006;Soykan et al, 2010;Keskin et al, 2011;Saygılı et al, 2016;Froese and Pauly, 2017).…”

“…Chiba et al (2009) found S. flexuosa and S. smaris lineages to be reciprocally monophyletic on their cyt-b phylogenetic trees. However, Bektaş et al (2018) showed that S. flexuosa and S. maena were the two most closely related species on their cyt-b trees.…”

Ихтиофауна Прибрежной Зоны Чёрного Моря В Районе Бухты Ласпинская (Крым)

“…В зарубежных источниках (FishBase, 2020) S. flexuosa рассматривают как младший синоним S. maena. Между тем установлено наличие достоверных морфометрических и генетических отличий между этими видами (Bektas et al, 2018 ;Minos et al, 2013).…”