Truong Thi Oanh, Doan Vu Thinh, Dang Thuy Binh

ABSTRACT

Snappers (Perciformes: Lutjanidae) are perch-like marine fishes found worldwide in tropical and subtropical waters. Many of the species are similar in appearance and are therefore frequently confused. In Vietnam, biodiversity inventory is primarily based on morphological characteristics, therefore, the number and distribution of many species is still controversial. Thepurpose of this study was to clarify the phylogeny of commercial fish species of snappers distributed in Vietnam. Combined with Genbank sequences, a phylogenetic treewasconstructed based on 16SgeneofmitochondrialDNA usingMaximum Parsimony, Neighbor Joining and Bayesian Inference approaches. Monophyly of Lutjanus and Paracaesio was strongly supported. The phylogram also showed an integration of morphologic and genetic characters in clear sub-clades. Continued sampling of commercialfish species and classification based on morphology and genetics to build DNA barcoding offish species in Vietnam is necessary.

Keywords: Lutjanidae, phylogenetic relationship, 16S rRNA, spapper