Identification of alfonsino and related fish species belonging to the genus Beryx with mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene and its application on their pelagic eggs

The mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene was amplified by polymerase chain reaction usingtotal DNAas a template from muscle tissues of alfonsino and related fish species of alfonsino belong-ing to the genus Beryx , B.splendens , B.mollis and B.decadactylus . While the sequence of the 16SrRNA gene consisted of 492 nucleotides irrespective of the three species, three, nine and eight inter-specific variations were shown between B.splendens and B.mollis , between B.splendens and B.decadactylus , and between B.mollis and B.decadactylus , respectively. The pelagic eggs, which werecollected off Izu Islands and showed morphological characteristics typical to the genus Beryx wereall identified as those of B.splendens from the nucleotide sequence of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene. KEY WORDS: 16S rRNA , alfonsino, Beryx , mitochondrial DNA, pelagic eggs, species identification. *Corresponding author: Tel: 81-468-82-2313. Fax: 81-468-81-7903. Email: akimoto@agri.pref.kanagawa.jpReceived 28 December 2001. Accepted 4 June 2002.