Phylogenetic Analysis of The Darkfin Hind, Cephalopholis urodeta (Serranidae) Using Partial Mitochondrial CO1 Gene Sequences

Cephalopholis is one of the largest genera belonging to Subfamilly Epinephelinae, which has various species. Phenotypically, an adult C. urodeta similar to a juvenile of C. sonnerati, since both of them have a striking trait, two white oblique stripes or bands on the caudal fins. This work was conducted to investigate the genetic relationships of this species using CO1 gene segment. Fish were collected from several sampling point in South Sulawesi areas such as Sinjai and Selayar Island. The phenotypic characterizations were identified using the FAO species catalogue of groupers of the world, and the species that seemed to have C. urodeta morphology then separated. Tissue samples from dorsal muscle tissue were used as the source of DNA. Using part of the CO1 gene sequence, it can be confirmed that our samples are exactly C. urodeta species. The 22 C. urodeta sequences from GeneBank compared with our sequences. Interestingly, because based on the phylogenetic tree, our sequences clustered with the other C. urodeta sequences from several part of the world except the Arabian Sea off the coast of India, which is a separate branch. The present study reveals less genetic distance in C. urodeta than some other parts of the ocean as follows; South Pacific Ocean (Polynesia), North Pacific Ocean (Northern Mariana), South China Sea (Philippines), Andaman, west coast of Réunion Island, Arabian Sea and Indo West Pacific (Indonesia). This has implications for understanding the migration pattern of the species and may affect conservation policy decisions.