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Insights into the taxonomy and mitochondrial phylogenetic affinity of the longnose goby, Awaous jayakari (Teleostei: Gobiidae)

Authors:
Saud Musallam Al Jufaili at Sultan Qaboos University
Saud Musallam Al Jufaili
Hamid Reza Esmaeili at Shiraz University
Hamid Reza Esmaeili
Laith A. Jawad at Auckland, New Zealand
Laith A. Jawad
  • Auckland, New Zealand
Golnaz Sayyadzadeh at Lorestan University
Golnaz Sayyadzadeh
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Abstract and Figures

Members of the genus Awaous are found in fresh, brackish, and marine waters from Africa to the Americas, showing a circumtropical distribution, mostly found in the Indo-West Pacific region. There is some controversy surrounding the taxonomy and phylogenetic composition of species of the genus Awaous. Here, we carried out a mitochondrial phylogenomic analysis on the genus Awaous including newly sequenced of Awaous jayakari and published mitogenomes towards elucidating the phylogenetic relationship of the genus. The result of the Bayesian reconstructed phylogenetic tree almost confirmed Watson’s traditional classification with three main groups/subgenera. Within Awaous, 10 clades, mainly corresponding to separate nominal species, are resolved. Based on the first mitochondrial COI gene sequences of Omani population and also the detailed morphology of specimens collected from Oman and southeast Iran, their comparison with the type specimens, the Omani and Iranian populations of snout goby are taxonomically assigned to Awaous jayakari. The phylogenetic analysis failed to recover A. banana, A. ocellaris, and A. grammepomus sequences as monophyletic clusters. Awaous jayakari is sister to Awaous sp._Bangladesh (PP = 0.33), and these two species form a clade that is set apart with low statistical support value (PP = 0.24) Awaous sp._Kaladan basin, NE India from. Awaous jayakari showed the lowest mean K2P distance values with Awaous sp. Bangladesh (0.76), A. aeneofuscus (0.80), and Awaous sp. Kaladan basin (0.82) and the highest K2P distance value with A. melanocephalus (0.257). Data on A. jayakari would offer particularly valuable information on the phylogeny, biogeography, and conservation of amphidromous Awaous species. A narrow distribution range, low population size, presence in dried areas (Wadis), unknown biology and ecology, introduction of exotic fish elements, dispersal limitation, and its unique genetic features make it one of the most important inland fish candidates in conservation and management programs in Oman.
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Vol.:(0123456789)
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https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-021-01144-1
Insights intothetaxonomy andmitochondrial phylogenetic
affinity ofthelongnose goby, Awaous jayakari (Teleostei:
Gobiidae)
SaudM.Al‑Jufaili· HamidRezaEsmaeili · LaithJawad·
GolnazSayyadzadeh
Received: 3 April 2021 / Accepted: 29 August 2021
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. 2021
corresponding to separate nominal species, are
resolved. Based on the first mitochondrial COI gene
sequences of Omani population and also the detailed
morphology of specimens collected from Oman and
southeast Iran, their comparison with the type speci-
mens, the Omani and Iranian populations of snout
goby are taxonomically assigned to Awaous jaya-
kari. The phylogenetic analysis failed to recover A.
banana, A. ocellaris, and A. grammepomus sequences
as monophyletic clusters. Awaous jayakari is sister to
Awaous sp._Bangladesh (PP = 0.33), and these two
species form a clade that is set apart with low statis-
tical support value (PP = 0.24) Awaous sp._Kaladan
basin, NE India from. Awaous jayakari showed
the lowest mean K2P distance values with Awaous
sp. Bangladesh (0.76), A. aeneofuscus (0.80), and
Awaous sp. Kaladan basin (0.82) and the highest K2P
Abstract Members of the genus Awaous are found
in fresh, brackish, and marine waters from Africa to
the Americas, showing a circumtropical distribution,
mostly found in the Indo-West Pacific region. There
is some controversy surrounding the taxonomy and
phylogenetic composition of species of the genus
Awaous. Here, we carried out a mitochondrial phy-
logenomic analysis on the genus Awaous including
newly sequenced of Awaous jayakari and published
mitogenomes towards elucidating the phylogenetic
relationship of the genus. The result of the Bayes-
ian reconstructed phylogenetic tree almost confirmed
Watson’s traditional classification with three main
groups/subgenera. Within Awaous, 10 clades, mainly
Supplementary Information The online version
contains supplementary material available at https:// doi.
org/ 10. 1007/ s10641- 021- 01144-1.
S.M.Al-Jufaili(*)
Department ofMarine Science andFisheries, Sultan
Qaboos University, Al Khod 123, P.O Box34, Muscat,
Oman
e-mail: sjufaily@squ.edu.om
S.M.Al-Jufaili
Natural andMedical Sciences Research Center, University
ofNizwa, BirkatAlmouz616, Oman
H.R.Esmaeili(*)· G.Sayyadzadeh
Ichthyology andMolecular Systematics Research
Laboratory, Zoology Section, Department ofBiology,
School ofScience, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran
e-mail: hresmaeili@shirazu.ac.ir
H.R.Esmaeili
Center forHydrobiology andAquatic Biotechnology,
Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran
L.Jawad
School ofEnvironmental andAnimal Sciences, Unitec
Institute ofTechnology, 139 Carrington Road, Mt Albert,
Auckland1025, NewZealand
G.Sayyadzadeh
Department ofBiology, College ofSciences, Lorestan
University, Khorramabad, Iran
/ Published online: 17 September 2021
Environ Biol Fish (2021) 104:1177–1193
Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. Rights reserved.
... The Genbank accession numbers of the six submitted sequences are OP019629 (Holotype -EBRC/ZSI/F14041; 585 bp), OP021072 (Paratype-EBRC/ZSI/F14042a; 554 bp), OQ735078 (Keith et al., 2011;Hubert et al., 2012;Asis et al., 2013;Chang et al., 2016;Dahruddin et al., 2016;Steinke et al., 2016;Thu et al., 2019;Al-Jufaili et al., 2021;McMahan et al., 2021). ...
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A new species of the genus Awaous (Oxudercidae), Awaous motla sp. nov., is described based on 18 specimens collected from the Mahanadi River near Sonepur, Subarnapur District, and 3 specimens from the same river near Boudh bridge, Boudh District of Odisha, India. This species is distinct from its congeners by having a combination of characteristics: relatively small eyes, diameter of 6.6–8.4 in head length (LH); robust and long snout, 2.0–2.6 in LH; eye diameter 2.7–4.1 in snout length; cephalic sensory pore system interrupted with eight pores; predorsal scales 13–15; longitudinal scale series 55–58; gill rakers 2 + 1 + (6–7) on the first gill arch; teeth small, conical, and in a single row on the upper jaw and multiserial (2–3) on the lower jaw. This species is also differentiated from some of its congeners in the nucleotide composition of the cytochrome c oxidase I gene by 8.3%–13.8% Kimura two‐parameter (K2P) distance and belongs to a separate cluster in the maximum likelihood tree analysis. This finding is also supported by the species delimitation analysis based on Assemble Species by Automatic Partitioning. The new species holds high commercial value in its locality and needs special conservation attention for sustainable utilization.
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... Species-level identification of the specimens was carried out using major taxonomic keys and primary taxonomic literature, e.g. Freyhof et al. (2020) and Al Jufaili et al. (2021a). Morphological identifications were confirmed by molecular characters and DNA barcoding (mitochondrial COI; unpubl. ...
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