A review of the genus Strophidon (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae), with description of a new species

Abstract

Strophidon McClelland is a muraenid genus with characteristic appearance of a very elongated body, a large mouth cleft and anteriorly placed eyes. The nomenclature and taxonomic history of species within Strophidon are contentious and its members are easily misidentified. In the present study, species of the genus Strophidon are revised based on morphological and molecular data, and five species are considered valid, including S. dawydoffi Prokofiev, S. dorsalis (Seale), S. sathete (Hamilton), S. ui Tanaka and a new species, S. tetraporus. Strophidon tetraporus sp. nov. is described based on 15 specimens from Indonesia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam with the unique characteristic of the constant presence of the fourth infraorbital pore among species of Strophidon. The intraspecific variation of vertebral formula within S. dorsalis is discussed based on molecular data. Muraena macrurus Bleeker and Thyrsoidea longissima Kaup are synonyms of S. sathete that can be distinguished from the most similar congener S. ui by a longer tail, smaller eyes and more inner maxillary and inner dentary teeth. A key to identify species of Strophidon is provided. The distribution and maximum size of each species are also re-evaluated.

The complete mitochondrial genome of Slender Giant Moray Strophidon sathete (Hamilton, 1822)

“…The results are largely similar to previous studies based on mitochondrial COI fragments, 12S and 16S rRNA genes (Tang and Fielitz 2013 ; Huang et al. 2020 ). Taken together, the newly sequenced mitochondrial genome of S. sathete characterized here should contribute to a better understanding of phylogenetic relationships of species in the family Muraenidae, and molecular identification, population genetic and evolutionary biological studies of the slender giant moray.…”

“…The phylogenetic tree (Figure 1) showed that S. sathete was first clustered with Rhinomuraena quaesita and Gymnothorax minor, which further elucidate the phylogenetic and taxonomic position of the genus Strophidon in the family Muraenidae. The results are largely similar to previous studies based on mitochondrial COI fragments, 12S and 16S rRNA genes (Tang and Fielitz 2013;Huang et al 2020). Taken together, the newly sequenced mitochondrial genome of S. sathete characterized here should contribute to a better understanding of phylogenetic relationships of species in the family Muraenidae, and molecular identification, population genetic and evolutionary biological studies of the slender giant moray.…”

“…It is marketed fresh and consumed locally. The nomenclature and taxonomic history of species within Strophidon are contentious and its members are easily misidentified (Huang et al 2020). Till now, mitochondrial genome records of Strophidon species are inadequate, the mitogenome of S. sathete we provided was the first reported.…”

Molecular Identification of Species Diversity Using Pelagic Fish Eggs in Spring and Late Autumn-Winter in the Eastern Beibu Gulf, China

“…The misidentifications that occur during the process of developing the DNA barcode library of fish are normal because of morphological characteristics, i.e., phenotypic plasticity, new species, cryptic diversity, genotypic variation, or different life stages. In the present study, ambiguous delineation mainly appeared in the taxa or genera Alepes, Acanthopagrus, Johnius, Istiompax, Scomberoides, Rastrelliger, Decapterus, Carangoides, Saurida, Platycephalus, Epinephelus, Uranoscopus, Cynoglossus, Sillago, and Sardinella, and families Apogonidae, Bothidae, Clupeidae, Theraponidae, Trichiuridae, Mugilidae, and Engraulidae, among which misidentifications, cryptic diversity, and new species were common (Mat Jaafar et al, 2012;Qin et al, 2013;Gon et al, 2015;Tucker et al, 2016;Fricke, 2018;Hata and Motomura, 2018;Chao et al, 2019;Frable et al, 2019;Huang et al, 2020;Prokofiev, 2021;Xiao et al, 2021). Developing a reliable DNA barcode library for these taxa, with correct species identifications via morphology, or using multiple DNA fragments is recommended in future studies (Chakraborty et al, 2006;Hsu et al, 2009).…”

Assemblage Structure of the Ichthyoplankton and Its Relationship With Environmental Factors in Spring and Autumn off the Pearl River Estuary

“…in the northern SCS, and the new species Strophidon tetraporus sp. nov. (Huang et al, 2020). The spawning grounds of these species are not well known, mainly because of difficulties experienced with accurate identification of their eggs and larvae, and lack of any illustrated handbooks.…”