Comparative population genetics and evolutionary history of two commonly misidentified billfishes of management and conservation concern.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Misidentifications between exploited species may lead to inaccuracies in population assessments, with potentially irreversible conservation ramifications if overexploitation of either species is occurring. A notable showcase is provided by the realization that the roundscale spearfish (Tetrapturus georgii), a recently validated species, has been historically misidentified as the morphologically very similar and severely overfished white marlin (Kajikia albida) (IUCN listing: Vulnerable). In effect, no information exists on the population status and evolutionary history of the enigmatic roundscale spearfish, a large, highly vagile and broadly distributed pelagic species. We provide the first population genetic evaluation of the roundscale spearfish, utilizing nuclear micr

SUBMITTER: Bernard AM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4278234 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature