fshr: a fish sex-determining locus shows variable incomplete penetrance across flathead grey mullet populations.

Whole-genome sequencing data were produced from a single flathead grey mullet female and assembled into a draft genome sequence, whereas publicly available sequence data were used to obtain a male draft sequence. Two pools, each consisting of 60 unrelated individuals, respectively, of male and female fish were analyzed using Pool-Sequencing. Mapping and analysis of Pool-Seq data against the draft genome(s) revealed >30 loci potentially associated with sex, the most promising locus of which, encoding the follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (fshr) and harboring two missense variants, was genotyped on 245 fish from four Mediterranean populations. Genotype data showed that fshr represents a previously unknown sex-determining locus, although the incomplete association pattern between fshr genotype and sex-phenotype, the variability of such pattern across different populations, and the presence of other candidate loci reveal that a greater complexity underlies sex determination in the flathead grey mullet.

Phylogenetic analysis of Mediterranean Mugilids by allozymes and 16S mt-rRNA genes investigation: are the Mediterranean species of Liza monophyletic?

The family Mugilidae (Pisces, Mugiliformes) includes species which are present in all tropical and temperate regions. Six species, Chelon labrosus, Mugil cephalus, Liza aurata, L. ramada, L. saliens, Oedalechilus labeo, are commonly found in the Mediterranean. These species have been widely studied through morphological, biochemical, and molecular markers. However, their phylogenetic relationships, and therefore the assumed monophyly of Liza species, still remain unclear: To further investigate this topic, gene-enzyme systems and sequences of the partial 16S rRNA mitochondrial gene were analyzed in Italian samples of all six Mediterranean species. The phylogenetic reconstructions indicated M. cephalus as being the most divergent species and the existence of a main cluster including all the Mediterranean species of Liza and C. labrosus. The parametric bootstrap approach adopted to test alternative phylogenetic hypotheses indicated that the Mediterranean species of Liza do not form a monophyletic group exclusive of Chelon.