The taxonomic identity and distribution of the eel cod Muraenolepis (Gadiformes: Muraenolepididae) around South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
Fishes of the genus Muraenolepis are regularly caught in commercial and research fishing in the waters around South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, but for many years there has been uncertainty about the specific identity of the species being caught. Here, we used morphological and molecular...
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Veröffentlicht in: | Polar biology 2021-04, Vol.44 (4), p.637-651 |
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Format: | Artikel |
Sprache: | eng |
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Zusammenfassung: | Fishes of the genus
Muraenolepis
are regularly caught in commercial and research fishing in the waters around South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, but for many years there has been uncertainty about the specific identity of the species being caught. Here, we used morphological and molecular data to clarify the identity of specimens of
Muraenolepis
caught in trawl surveys and longline fisheries in South Georgia and South Sandwich Island waters. Type specimens of
M. marmorata
,
M. microps
and
M. orangiensis
were examined, together with specimens caught in trawl surveys around South Georgia. Morphological and molecular (mitochondrial 16S and
cox1
sequence) data from specimens collected throughout the Southern Ocean indicate four clades and confirm the presence of just one species (
M. marmorata
) on the South Georgia continental shelf. The data also confirm that
M. microps
is a junior synonym of
M. marmorata
, which has a broad distribution around sub-Antarctic islands in the Southern Ocean extending as far south as the South Orkneys and the southern South Sandwich Islands.
Muraenolepis evseenkoi
is the main species caught in longline fisheries in the South Sandwich Islands and, with a more southerly distribution, is not known from around South Georgia. A third species (
M. kuderskii
) is also reported from around South Georgia and one specimen was considered to belong to this species. In total, there are eight recognised species of muraenolepidids in two genera, with six species having an Antarctic distribution. |
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ISSN: | 0722-4060 1432-2056 |
DOI: | 10.1007/s00300-021-02819-2 |