Abstract
Larvae of Auxis rochei and Auxis thazard are commonly found in tropical to temperate waters around the world; however, their identification is difficult due to their similar morphological characteristics. In order to determine the morphological differences between larvae of these two species, we identified larvae of 192 A. rochei and 119 A. thazard using species-specific genetic markers and compared their melanophore patterns at each growth stage. The larvae of both species ranged from 3.5 to 6.9 mm in length and were identified with high accuracy based on the patterns of melanophore distribution at the snout tip and on the caudal peduncle. Using these morphological characteristics, we developed an identification key for the larvae of these two Auxis species based on their growth stage.
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Acknowledgments
We thank the captains and crews of the research vessels Yoko-maru and Shunyo-maru (Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency) and Kuroshio-maru (Kagoshima Prefectural Fisheries Technology Development Center) for their assistance during this study. We also thank Messrs. Shinji Yoshimura and Masanori Kawazu, and Drs. Etsuro Sawai, Yuki Uematsu, Taiki Ishihara, Hiroshi Ashida, Yuko Hiraoka, Hiroshige Tanaka, Yosuke Tanaka, and Kazuya Nagasawa (National Research Institute of Far Seas Fisheries, Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency) for their field collaboration and helpful suggestions on the manuscript, and Drs. Kenji Nohara and Hirohiko Takeshima (Tokai University) for analyzing the DNA samples. This study was financially supported by the Fisheries Agency of Japan and the Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency.
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Sato, T., Tawa, A., Sakuma, K. et al. Larval identification based on melanophore patterns in two Auxis species, bullet tuna Auxis rochei and frigate tuna Auxis thazard, from the northwest Pacific Ocean. Fish Sci 86, 625–631 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12562-020-01429-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12562-020-01429-x