New records of Plotosus japonicus in the Red Sea and genetic indications for its presence throughout the Indo-Pacific (Osteichthyes: Plotosidae)

Abstract

Swarms of striped eel catfish were observed for the first time in Eilat at the northern tip of the Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea in summer 2017. Taxonomic and genetic studies revealed them to belong to Plotosus japonicus Yoshino & Kishimoto, 2008. This is the first report of this species outside the Japanese archipelago. Molecular comparisons (mtDNA COI) of this population with previously published samples show that this species is actually present throughout the Indo-Pacific and provide indication that this genus includes two of ambiguous identity species that await further examinations.

Keywords:

• New record
• genetic barcoding
• integrative taxonomy

Supplementary Material

Supplementary material is given as a Supplementary Annex, which is available via the “Supplementary” tab on the article’s online page (http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09397140.2020.1729560).

Acknowledgement

We are grateful to Aviv Levy, Scientific Director of the Eilat Underwater Observatory and Marine Park, for providing several of the Red Sea specimens.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.