a b s t r a c t
In spite of the utility of DNA barcoding in discriminating marine fish species, few studies
using this technique are available along the Brazilian coast, which encompasses nearly
9000 km, distinct biogeographic regions and endemism rates. Therefore, in the present
work, we provided the first DNA barcode library based on sequencing of the mitochondrial
gene cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) for Actinopterygii fish from northeastern coast
of Brazil. The database included 459 specimens from 54 genera, 31 families and 13 orders,
with mean interspecific genetic distance of and mean intraspecific distance of 0.15%. As a
result, the neighbor-joining (NJ) tree resulted in the molecular identification of 78 taxa.
Cryptic species were indicated in Eucinostomus (mojarras) since the 82 specimens
morphologically identified as Eucinostomus melanopterus or Eucinostomus sp. formed five
clusters with intraspecific genetic distances up to 0.31% and lowest interspecific distance of
11.14%. Eucinostomus jonesii and Eucinostomus harengulus were identified for the first time
in ichthyofauna inventories from northeastern Brazil. The present work has also added
new records to the Barcode of Life Data System (BOLD), thereby favoring the identification
of other specimens at different life stages or in forensic studies. The present dataset reinforces
the reliability of DNA barcoding to estimate the overlooked richness of marine fish
in Brazilian coast with application in conservation, ecology, systematics and fisheries.
© 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.