Taxonomic review of the species of Mugil (Teleostei: Perciformes: Mugilidae) from the Atlantic South Caribbean and South America, with integration of morphological, cytogenetic and molecular data

Abstract

Analysis of morphological, molecular and cytological data helped to define and more precisely characterize the species of Mugil from the Atlantic coasts of South Caribbean and South America, allowing a correction of prior misidentifications and distributional ranges. A new species from Venezuela is described and all the species from the area are redescribed. It is demonstrated that the apparent similarity in morphological traits, which contradicted the results from recent molecular studies, is the result of the misuse of traditional morphological characters, and thus both the molecular and cytological data instead are congruent with the morphological differences that are found among mullet species. The presence of Mugil hospes Jordan & Culver in the western south Atlantic is refuted based on the comparison of type material of this species with specimens from this area that also indicated a very significant morphological difference, what on the other hand justifies the recognition of these specimens as Mugil brevirostris (Ribeiro). The distribution of Mugil incilis Hancock is restricted and the similarities among the species formerly depicted in a prior dendrogram is modified following the inclusion of recently obtained molecular data for Mugil curvidens Valenciennes.

Ichthyofauna as an environmental quality indicator of the Bertioga Channel, São Paulo (Brazil)

“…In the laboratory, the collected specimens were identified with taxonomic identification keys MENEZES, 1978MENEZES, , 2000MENEZES;FIGUEIREDO, , 1985CARPENTER, 2002a, b;MARCENIUK, 2005;GOMES et al, 2010) and the CATALOG OF FISHES (CAS, 2015), FROESE and PAULY (2015), WORLD REGISTER OF MARINE SPECIES (WorMS, 2015), MARCENIUK andMENEZES (2007) andMENEZES et al (2015) to update the nomenclature. After identification, individual data were obtained: total length (TL) (in mm) with ichthyometer, total weight (TW) and gonad weight (GW) (g) with a semi-analytical scale.…”

The Mugil curema species complex (Pisces, Mugilidae): a new karyotype for the Pacific white mullet mitochondrial lineage

“…M. The third lineage, indicated as Mugil sp. N, is present in Venezuela and has recently been formally described as a new species, named M. margaritae Menezes, Nirchio, Oliveira & Siccha-Ramirez, 2015 (Menezes et al 2015). The fourth lineage is distributed along the Pacific coast of the Americas, from the USA to Ecuador, and is indicated as Mugil sp.…”

Inventory of Chondrichthyes and Actinopterygii species collected in the central coast of São Paulo State, Brazil

“…The Menezes et al (2003) catalog, the Websites Catalog of Fishes (CAS), FishBase, Advanced Search Report (ITIS), and World Register of Marine Species (WorMS); and Marceniuk & Menezes (2007) and Menezes et al (2015) publications were utilized to update the nomenclature. The testimony specimens are frozen at ECORREP (Reproductive Ecology and Recruitment Laboratory -Oceanographic Institute-University of São Paulo) and will be added to the ColBIO (Colec¸õ es Bioló gicas Prof. Edmundo Ferraz Nonato-IOUSP).…”