Genetic differences between two newly described swellfishes of the genus Lagocephalus from southern Kyushu, Japan

Genetic differences between the two newly described swellfishes of the genus Lagocephalus, L. gloveri and L. wheeleri, from southern Kyushu, Japan were investigated by electrophoretic methods. At ten out of sixteen loci the two species did not share alleles. A genetic distance of 1.249 was found between the two species and falls within the range of values between intrageneric species of marine teleosts. One hybrid was found in 318 specimens. These data indicate that the two species maintain separate gene pools and for the most part are reproductively isolated. The biochemical-genetic data support the conclusions, based on morphology, that the two types of L. lunaris spadiceus are discrete species.