Abstract
Fish larvae identification in estuarine environments is of major importance for fishing resources verifications, environmental monitoring, and establishment of protection areas. Species of the Engraulidae family are morphologically very similar; therefore, taxonomic characterization can be insufficient to reach a precise identification. Molecular-level analysis has become an important tool to assist on taxonomy, as it does not depend on morphological expressions that only occur in juvenile or adult stages. Fish larvae were sampled in tropical estuarine ecosystems, in a single water body, with salinities ranging between 15 and 25, using a bongo net with a 500-μm mesh, towed obliquely from the surface. Around 73% of identified individuals are from the Engraulidae family, and are classified into nine morphotypes according to morphological characteristics. DNA analyses were performed, with the sequencing of the mitochondrial gene Cytochrome C Oxidase I. These analyses suggest the occurrence of two distinct genera: Anchoa and Lycengraulis, among the investigated specimens. The present study contributes to enriching knowledge on the morphology of larvae of the Engraulidae family, and highlights the potential of molecular analysis techniques to elucidate taxonomic issues.
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Acknowledgements
We are grateful to the entire Laboratório Integrado de Zooplâncton e Ictioplâncton (UFRJ) team, especially to Dr. Adriana Valente, MSc. Pedro Freitas and Dr. Régis Santos for the fieldwork, to Dr. Márcia Castro for her valuable help in identification, again to MSc. Pedro Freitas for the pictures of fish larvae, and to Dr. Flavia Guerra for companionship and her help in experiments and in the processing of molecular data. To the entire Laboratório de Metabolismo Macromolecular Firmino Torres de Castro (UFRJ) team for their assistance in molecular analyses, especially Dr. Victor Hugo Giordano Dias, Dr. Isadora C. Toledo e Mello, and MSc. Maria Clara da Costa Simas. We thank Dr. Michelle Klautau for all the help and suggestions in the development of the phylogenetic tree; Dr. Paulo Paiva for his help with the molecular samples; and Dr. Inácio Domingos da Silva Neto for the availability of the Laboratório de Protistologia (UFRJ). We would like to thank Maíra Rizzo for English language editing. We thank the journal reviewers for the time to read and critically evaluate our work, and for suggestions that greatly improved the original manuscript.
Funding
This study was funded by Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ, E-26/110.363/2012).
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MMJ participated in the fieldwork study, analyzed the molecular data, and wrote the paper. COD and ACTB analyzed the data and revised the paper. RS designed the molecular analysis and revised the paper. SLCB designed and participated in the fieldwork study, and revised the paper. All the authors edited the manuscript.
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Julio, M.M., Bonecker, A.C.T., de Oliveira Dias, C. et al. Engraulidae (Teleostei, Clupeiformes) in tropical estuarine ecosystems: identification of fish larvae based on morphological analysis and molecular evidence. Mar. Biodivers. 52, 29 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12526-022-01267-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12526-022-01267-3