Diversity of lanternfish (Myctophidae) larvae along the Ninety East
Ridge, India Ocean
Abstract
This study identified 260 lanternfish larvae specimens belonging to 20
species from 12 genera, which were obtained from 544 samples of the
Ninety East Ridge waters in the Indian Ocean using the COI DNA
barcoding. Among the samples, the intra-specific genetic distances
ranged from 0% to 2.99%, while inter-specific genetic distances ranged
from 1.88% to 25.71%. With the exception of Notolychnus valdiviae, the
maximum intra-specific genetic distances were lower than the minimum
inter-specific genetic distances for all species. The haplotypes of nine
species were analyzed, revealing significant differences in the number,
structure, and spatial distribution patterns. Notably,
Ceratoscopelus warmingii and Notolychnus valdiviae
displayed a significant north-south divergence pattern. The results
indicated that seamount topography may influence the gene flow and
horizontal distribution patterns of some lanternfish species, as shown
by the distribution patterns of different populations of some species.