Integrated cytogenetic and mitochondrial DNA analyses indicate that two different phenotypes of Hypancistrus (L066 and L333) belong to the same specie

[Acanthicus]

Cardoso, AL, HLS Carvalho, TCM Benathar, SMG Serrão, CY Nagamachi, JP Pieczarka, LM de Sousa, JS Ready & RCR Noronha, 2016.

Integrated cytogenetic and mitochondrial DNA analyses indicate that two different phenotypes of Hypancistrus (L066 and L333) belong to the same species. Zebrafish doi:10.1089/zeb.2015.1213.

Abstract

The diversity of Hypancistrus species in the Xingu River is remarkable and the variation in color morphs represents a real challenge to taxonomists to delimit species boundaries. One of the most recognizable Hypancistrus complexes is the worm-lined species, known in the aquarium trade as King Tiger Plec in English, Hypancistrus “pão” in Portuguese or under the L-numbers L066 and L333 that represent two melanic pigment pattern phenotypes. To assess the identity of these two phenotypes, we described their karyotypes and sequenced part of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I gene (DNA barcode). These fishes have 52 chromosomes (40 meta-submetacentric and 12 subtelo-acrocentric) and a strong heteromorphism in chromosome pair 21 was observed, which does not correlate with the two phenotypes or sex. DNA barcodes separated the samples analyzed from Hypancistrus zebra and other publicly available sequences of Loricariidae showing no divergence between the two phenotypes. The data set indicates that worm-lined Hypancistrus from the Xingu form a single species with clear chromosomal and melanic pigment pattern polymorphisms.

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Die Ergebnisse decken sich mit dem, was wir schon lange vermuten. Es scheint vorwärts zu gehen in Sachen "Wurmlinienhypancistrus". Interessant ist dabei, dass von einer Artbeschreibung abgesehen wurde, entweder weil diese schon fertig ist (sie ist schon seit vier Jahren "fertig") oder, weil es dazu vielleicht doch zu brisant ist.

lg Daniel