Genetic divergence and phylogenetic relationship of the rabbitfish Siganus rivulatus inferred from microsatellite and mitochondrial markers

The rabbit fish, Siganus rivulatus, is a Mediterranean non-endogenous species, that has succeeded in migrating to the different coasts of the Mediterranean Sea. The success of this species in the new environment, with different trophic, biotic, and physical conditions, inspired the study of genetic variation between the Rea Sea and Mediterranean Sea populations. The current study aims to use microsatellite (SSR) and mitochondrial DNA sequence (mtDNA) markers to determine the genetic divergence and phylogenetic relationship of S. rivulatus from the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. A total of 200 S. rivulatus samples (42.50 ± 3.89 gm) were collected from the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. Twelve SSR loci were screened to detect genetic differentiation, in addition to those in mtDNA. The results for the SSR markers showed seventy polymorphic alleles, with an average of 5.83 alleles per locus. Additionally, the inter-population genetic diversity was 0.063. The nucleotide composition of the MT-CO1 sequences revealed clear variations between the two studied populations. Phylogenetic analyses indicated that the Red Sea samples were more versatile than the Mediterranean Sea samples. The results indicated that the mtDNA of S. rivulatus is very variable and a species-sensitive marker to detect possible genetic variations, which could be part of the eco-physiological adaptation and key to the success of the migrant S. rivulatus in the Mediterranean Sea.