About this Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology article

Phylogeny of cardinalfishes (Teleostei: Gobiiformes: Apogonidae) and the evolution of visceral bioluminescence by Christine E. Thacker; Dawn M. Roje is a Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology article available to read on EtoBox.

The cardinalfishes (Apogonidae) are a diverse clade of small, mostly reef-dwelling fishes, for which a variety of morphological data have not yielded a consistent phylogeny. We use DNA sequence to hypothesize phylogenetic relationships within Apogonidae and among apogonids and other acanthomorph families, to examine patterns of evolution including the distribution of a visceral bioluminescence system. In conformance with previous studies, Apogonidae is placed in a clade with Pempheridae, Kurtidae, Leiognathidae, and Gobioidei. The apogonid genus Pseudamia is recovered outside the remainder of the family, not as sister to the superficially similar genus Gymnapogon. Species sampled from the Caribbean and Western Atlantic (Phaeoptyx, Astrapogon, and some Apogon species) form a clade, as do the larger-bodied Glossamia and Cheilodipterus. Incidence of visceral bioluminescence is found scattered throughout the phylogeny, independently for each group in which it is present. Examination of the fine structure of the visceral bioluminescence system through histology shows that light organs exhibit a range of morphologies, with some composed of complex masses of tubules (Siphamia, Pempheris,

Author

Christine E. Thacker; Dawn M. Roje

Publisher

Elsevier Science; Elsevier ; Elsevier Inc.; Elsevier BV (ISSN 1055-7903)

Published

2009

Language

EN

Field

Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology (Life Sciences)