Abstract
Background: The application of molecular methods for evaluating the Epinephelus species evolutionary variations is considered the backbone for the conservation process for these biological resources.
Methods: In this study, the utility of the Otx1B gene sequence variations was evaluated for the identification of some Red Sea Epinephelus species (E. areolatus, E. malabaricus, E. summana, E. radiatus and E. chlorostigma) compared with other ray-finned fishes. Some Otx1B gene fragments were isolated, purified, sequenced, analyzed (663 bp) and submitted to NCBI.
Result: A total of 140 single nucleotide polymorphisms were identified among the evaluated fishes. The phylogenetic relations among the evaluated fishes were reconstructed using the Maximum Likelihood and Neighbor-Joining methods. The genus Epinephelus was distantly related to the group formed by genera Chlorurus, Scarus and Oxycheffinus. The DNA polymorphism and sequence conservation values were calculated. The estimated Otx1B gene fragment sequences have proven their ability to detect speciation in each studied fish genera.