Insights into mitochondrial phylogeny and molecular systematics of mullids (Teleostei: Perciformes: Mullidae) from the Persian Gulf and the Oman Sea

The family Mullidae represents a hyoid barbel characteristic fish group of the tropical and temperate waters of all major oceans’ ichthyofauna. Despite diverse studies on their morphological characteristics, comparably few molecular investigations have been carried out resulting in several unresolved taxonomic puzzles. This study aimed to assess mitochondrial phylogeny and systematics of several mullid species of the western Indo-Pacific region based on partial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) and cytochrome b (Cytb) gene sequences. Phylogenetic analyses show a group of six nominal genera, in two main clades forming a monophyletic lineage. The main subclades within these clades correspond to genera as defined by morphological studies. One clade includes the species of the genus Upeneichthys, and the second clade includes Mullus, Upeneus, Mulloidichthys, Pseudupeneus, and Parupeneus. The most diverse group, Upeneus, consists of two subclades: (i) U. doriae, U. moluccensis, U. subvittatus, U. supravittatus, and U. vittatus and (ii) U. asymmetricus, U. australiae, U. floros, U. heterospinus, U. japonicus, U. lombok, U. margarethae, U. pori, U. spottocaudalis, U. sundaicus, and U. tragula. The range of average K2P genetic distance for COI varied from 0.1% between U. pori and U. guttatus to 25.7% between Ps. grandisquamis and U. floros. The cladogenetic pattern retrieved here almost corresponds to the mullid grouping as defined by osteological studies.