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Analysis of vertebral counts of the tropical anguillids, Anguilla megastoma, A. obscura, and A. reinhardtii, in the western South Pacific in relation to their possible population structure and phylogeny

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Abstract

The population structures of three tropical eel species, Anguilla megastoma, A. obscura, and A. reinhardtii, collected from several localities of each species range in the western South Pacific Ocean were evaluated using statistical analyses of total number of vertebrae (TV) data, which also included previously published data. There was a significant difference in TV values between Samoa and French Polynesia specimens of A. megastoma, while no significant difference was observed in TV data of A. obscura, despite the two species having similar overlapping species distribution ranges. There also was no significant difference found in the TV data of A. reinhardtii. These results suggest that A. megastoma may be separated into eastern and western populations in the western South Pacific, but there was no statistical evidence using the TV data that A. obscura and A. reinhardtii have population structure in the western South Pacific. These possible types of population structures are discussed in relation to the phylogeography and life histories of other tropical anguillid eels.

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Acknowledgements

This study could not have been possible without generous assistance during sampling expeditions, for which we sincerely thank the following colleagues: K. Ogawa, C. Hayward, S. Ishikawa, G. Marquet, B. Ai, T. Yamada, A. Shinoda, G. Minagawa, T. Ma, Y. Minegishi, T. Kawakami, and M. Kuroki. We also thank M. Oya for her assistance in many aspects of the project. S. W. was partly supported by the Ito Foundation for Promotion of Ichthyology, a Sasakawa Scientific Research Grant from the Japan Science Society, and Research Fellowships for Young Scientists (No. 18780143) from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. This study was supported partly by Grants-in-aid (No. 07306022, 08041139, 11691177 and 12NP0201) from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology of Japan; “Research for the Future” Program No. JSPS-RFTF 97L00901 from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science; Touwa Shokuhin Shinkoukai; and the Eel Research Foundation of Nobori-kai.

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  1. Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-8564, Tokyo, 164-8639, Japan

    Shun Watanabe, Michael J. Miller, Jun Aoyama & Katsumi Tsukamoto

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  1. Shun Watanabe
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  4. Katsumi Tsukamoto
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Correspondence to Shun Watanabe.

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Watanabe, S., Miller, M.J., Aoyama, J. et al. Analysis of vertebral counts of the tropical anguillids, Anguilla megastoma, A. obscura, and A. reinhardtii, in the western South Pacific in relation to their possible population structure and phylogeny. Environ Biol Fish 91, 353–360 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-011-9791-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-011-9791-5

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