Subterranean Fishes of the World

4092

2005

Centro de Investigaciones Marinas Universidad de la Habana

In the present work a study of the evolutionary relationships of the species was carried out representative of fish of the Lucifuga genus in Cuba by analyzing their variations genetic and molecular We studied 11 protein systems and the partial sequence of the gene mitochondrial cytochrome b (cytb). The animals were collected in different locations of the western zone of Cuba. Phylogeny reconstructed from molecular characters indicates the existence of two fundamental evolutionary lineages whose divergence is supported by 11 protein loci, 73 mitochondrial synapomorphies and a differential use of the codons which code for the amino acid valine. One of the lineages is constituted by the species L. dentatus, L. dentatus var. holguinensis and L. simile and the other for the species L. subterraneus and L. teresinarum. The distribution of the species in the evolutionary lineages corresponds to the assignment of them to the two subgenres defined for this genre. The analysis phylogenetic theory holds that the species L. simile, L. dentatus and L. subterraneus constitute Independent evolutionary lineages characterized by multiple synapomorphies, coinciding with current taxonomic classification. L. teresinarum is not supported as a monophyletic clade and aims to be synonymous with L. subterraneus, although the results are not conclusive. The specimens of the so-called L. dentatus var. holguinensis captured in two localities north of Matanzas constitute a well-supported clade defined by Molecular, biochemical and morphological characters. This suggests the revision of their status taxonomic

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