Abstract
Recent analyses of the tropical giant mottled eel Anguilla marmorata have suggested four to six populations within its Indo-Pacific distribution, including one represented by specimens from Guam, and that the population on Guam includes eels occurring in the eastern Caroline Islands based on morphological similarities. To test this hypothesis, sequences of the entire mitochondrial control region (mtCR) were obtained for 39 eels from Kosrae and Pohnpei, and compared to 267 previously sequenced haplotypes from across the Indo-Pacific Ocean. Results support recognition of two lineages distinctive for the eastern Caroline Islands and Guam, and the likelihood of an additional spawning area in the Indo-Pacific Ocean.
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Acknowledgments
We are grateful to A. Leiva, L. Patterson, S. Bullard, D. Boseto and N. Hüffeldt, Marine Biology students of the College of Micronesia Palikir campus, and A. George and the Kosrae Conservation and Safety Organization for their assistance in collecting samples in the Federated States of Micronesia. We thank the Section Editor, S. Shirai, and two anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments. Additional thanks to R. Schmidt, L. Tornabene and R. Chabarria for help in the laboratory. R.D. Overath, D. McKee, L. Tornabene and R. Chabarria provided valuable reviews. This research was supported by the National Science Foundation (OISE 0553910 to FP).
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Donovan, S., Pezold, F., Chen, Y. et al. Phylogeography of Anguilla marmorata (Teleostei: Anguilliformes) from the eastern Caroline Islands. Ichthyol Res 59, 70–76 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10228-011-0245-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10228-011-0245-z