On the occurrence and identification of Abudefduf saxatilis (Linnaeus, 1758) in the easternmost Mediterranean Sea

• DOI: 10.3391/ai.2015.10.1.10
• Publication Date: 2015-01-26T08:13:42Z
• Authors: Rami Tsadok; Maxim Rubin-Blum; Eli Shemesh; Dan Tchernov
• Keywords: 0106 biological sciences; 14. Life underwater; 01 natural sciences

Specimens of Abudefduf sp. collected in the Levantine region were previously assumed to be the Lessepsian-immigrant Indo-Pacific sergeant Abudefduf vaigiensis (Quoy and Gaimard, 1825). Using phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial genes cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) and 16S rRNA probed in 10 individuals sampled in the Mediterranean Israel and on 10 individuals sampled in the Red Sea, we established that Atlantic-origin sergeant major Abudefduf saxatilis (Linnaeus, 1758) now occurs along the eastern Mediterranean in shallow coastal rocky habitats. This study showed that misidentifications resulting from phenotypic plasticity and conservative morphological analysis may lead to wrong conclusions regarding the biogeography of studied species. In this respect, molecular tools are necessary to rule between the Lessepsian and Atlantic origin of non-indigenous cryptic species.