New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research abstracts

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Short communication
Lack of divergence in the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene between Macruronus species (Pisces: Merlucciidae) in the Southern Hemisphere

Carlos Olavarría^1,2
Fernando Balbontín³
Rolando Bernal³
C. Scott Baker¹

¹ School of Biological Sciences
 The University of Auckland
 Private Bag 92019
 Auckland, New Zealand
 email: c.olavarria@auckland.ac.nz
² Centro de Estudios del Cuaternario (CEQUA)
 Punta Arenas, Chile
³ Facultad de Ciencias del Mar
 Universidad de Valparaíso
 Casilla 5080, Reñaca
 Viña del Mar, Chile

Abstract Two species of grenadier, the blue grenadier (or hoki) Macruronus novaezelandiae and the Patagonian grenadier M. magellanicus,have been recorded in the Southern Hemisphere with disjunct distributions along southern Australia–New Zealand and southern Chile–Argentina, respectively. The extent of genetic difference between these two putative species was examined using partial sequences (n = 44; 405 bp) of the mitochondrial DNA cytochrome b gene in a phylogenetic analysis and in an analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA). Our analysis showed a lack of genetic differentiation between species (FST = –0.02275, FST = –0.00250) and among stocks. This absence of genetic differences is consistent with recent larval and adult morphology data suggesting that the two species should be synonymised. A comparable lack of genetic isolation has been observed in other closely related taxa (genera Merluccius and Micromesistius) with similar disjunct distributions across the Southern Hemisphere.

Keywords Macruronus novaezelandiae; Macruronus magellanicus; Chile; New Zealand; mitochondrial DNA

New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research, 2006, Vol. 40: 299–304
0028–8330/06/4002–0299     © The Royal Society of New Zealand 2006
M05055; Online publication date 3 May 2006. Received 22 August 2005; accepted 17 January 2006

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