Population Structure of Lutjanus purpureus (Lutjanidae - Perciformes) on the Brazilian coast: further existence evidence of a single species of red snapper in the western Atlantic

Abstract

The present study focus on the mitochondrial control region to investigate phylogeographic patterns and population structure in Lutjanus purpureus, and to evaluate the genetic similarity between L. purpureus and L. campechanus. For the initial analysis, 810 base pairs sequence from control region were obtained from 239 specimens of L. purpureus collected from four localities off the Brazilian coast. The results revealed the presence of a single panmictic population characterized by high values of genetic diversity. The 299 base pairs hypervariable portion were used for the combined analysis of L. purpureus and L. campechanus, being 275 haplotypes identified in the 414 specimens. Phylogenetic tree and haplotype network did not indicate phylogeographic substructuring between the two species, but rather an intense intermingling of individuals. Considering their marked morphological similarity, the molecular data presented here indicate that only one species of red snapper exists in the western Atlantic.

Genetic homogeneity and historical expansions of the slipper lobster, Scyllarides brasiliensis, in the south-west Atlantic

“…with Lutjanus purpureus: Gomes et al 2012;Scomberomorus cavalla: Santa-Brígida et al 2007;Ocyurus chrysurus: Vasconcellos et al 2008; Farfantepenaeus brasiliensis and Litopenaeus schmitti: Gusmão et al 2005; Ucides cordatus: Oliveira-Neto et al 2007; Cardisoma guanhumi : Oliveira-Neto et al 2008).…”

High Levels of Genetic Connectivity among Populations of Yellowtail Snapper, Ocyurus chrysurus (Lutjanidae – Perciformes), in the Western South Atlantic Revealed through Multilocus Analysis

“…Considering the marine environment, opportunities for isolation to occur between populations are rare [2–4]. Many marine fish species tend to present a high degree of genetic connectivity, despite being distributed over thousands of kilometers of ocean, although this is often attributed to the intense mixing of individuals during the initial phases of development [2,5,6]. In fact, genetic connectivity has often been associated with the duration of the pelagic larval phase (PLD) [7], although a number of studies have shown that there is not always a clear relationship between the duration of this phase and the genetic homogeneity of populations [8,9].…”

Regional differences in the age and growth of red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico

“…Studies of the population structure of red snapper genetics and movement indicate that GOM fish form a metapopulation of semiisolated, subpopulations (Saillant and Gold, 2006;Gold and Saillant, 2007;, and recent genetic evidence indicates that the Caribbean red snapper (L. purpureus) and the red snapper (L. campechanus) may not be separate species (Gold et al, 2011;Gomes et al, 2012). Examination of otolith microchemistry also has shown region-specific natural tags or elemental signatures, which have been used to identify nursery sources, subpopulations, and to provide evidence of stock mixing across the GOM Nowling et al, 2011;Sluis et al, 2012).…”