Integrative taxonomy supports the presence of two species of Kyphosus (Perciformes: Kyphosidae) in Atlantic European waters

Abstract

The taxonomic identification of one Kyphosus sectatrix and two Kyphosus vaigiensis specimens caught in the European Atlantic waters of Galicia, northwestern Spain, was carried out by means of integrative taxonomy, combining the examination of morphological characters and DNA barcodes. Taxonomical assignation based on morphological characters of these specimens was tested by comparing their COI sequences with available data of Kyphosus deposited in public repositories. The resulting neighbour-joining tree defined four clades corresponding to Barcode Index Number (BIN) and indicated that some nucleotide sequences from Kyphosus, previously deposited, probably originate from misidentified specimens, as would be expected from cryptic and sympatric species. The specimens of Kyphosus vaigiensis represent a new record for the waters of Galicia and the northernmost record in the eastern Atlantic. This kind of herbivorous tropical fishes could play an important role in the tropho-dynamic context of this temperate coastal ecosystem.