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What doesn´t kill you makes you stronger: a careful approach to the phylogeography of the venomous fish Scorpaena maderensis

Cristina S. Lima1*, Joana I. Robalo1, Sara M. Francisco1, Frederico Almada1, Rita Castilho2, Ana M. Pereira1, Radek Sanda3, Jasna Vukic4, Anna Pappalardo5 and Venera Ferrito5
  • 1 Instituto Universitário de Ciências Psicológicas, Sociais e da Vida, MARE- Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Portugal
  • 2 Centro de Ciências do Mar (CCMAR), Portugal
  • 3 Národní muzeum, Czechia
  • 4 Charles University, Czechia
  • 5 Università degli Studi di Catania, Italy

Scorpaenids are known to be one of the few venomous fish genera along the European shores. The composition and diversity of their venoms are largely unknown limiting the evaluation of their prospective application in biotechnology. Before delving into their potential, it is important to shed light on their evolutionary history. Preliminary genetic screening of the intraspecific diversity of the Madeira rockfish (Scorpaena maderensis) across its distributional range was performed using a fragment from the mitochondrial control region. A total of 81 individuals from 6 sampling locations across the distribution range of S. maderensis were analyzed. A total of 72 haplotypes were detected, 6 of which shared among locations (only one between the Mediterranean and Atlantic) and organized in a deep haplotype network. Results support significant difference between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean locations and demographic growth for both regions. This phylogeographic separation pattern between Mediterranean and Atlantic basins has also been reported for other marine organisms in the area, with contrasting ecology and life history traits.

Acknowledgements

This study had the support of Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT), through the strategic project UID/MAR/04292/2013 and C. S. Lima was supported by a Research Grant from MARE-ISPA (MARE-ISPA/BI/004/2015).

Keywords: Phylogeography, North Atlantic, Mediterranean, Venomous fish, mitochondrial DNA

Conference: IMMR'18 | International Meeting on Marine Research 2018, Peniche, Portugal, 5 Jul - 6 Jul, 2018.

Presentation Type: Poster Presentation

Topic: Biodiversity, Conservation and Coastal Management

Citation: Lima CS, Robalo JI, Francisco SM, Almada F, Castilho R, Pereira AM, Sanda R, Vukic J, Pappalardo A and Ferrito V (2019). What doesn´t kill you makes you stronger: a careful approach to the phylogeography of the venomous fish Scorpaena maderensis. Front. Mar. Sci. Conference Abstract: IMMR'18 | International Meeting on Marine Research 2018. doi: 10.3389/conf.FMARS.2018.06.00050

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Received: 30 May 2018; Published Online: 07 Jan 2019.

* Correspondence: Dr. Cristina S Lima, Instituto Universitário de Ciências Psicológicas, Sociais e da Vida, MARE- Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Lisbon, 1149-041, Portugal, clima@ispa.pt