Genetic diversity, population genetic structure and demographic history of the Ribbontail stingray Taeniura lymma (Fabricius, 1775) (elasmobranchii: myliobatiformes: dasyatidae) along the Tanzanian coastline
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2024
Authors
Nehemia, Alex
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Abstract
The Ribbontail stingray Taeniura lymma is an economically important fish and attractive species for
the aquarium trade industry. Overfishing, habitat degradation, and pollution, however, pose a threat
to this species. This study used partial mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) sequences
(603 base pairs long) from 96 samples of T. lymma collected at five fish-landing sites (Deep
Sea-Tanga, Malindi-Unguja, Kaole-Bagamoyo, Kivukoni-Dar es Salaam, and Bandarini-Mtwara) located
along the coast of Tanzania to determine the species’ genetic diversity, population genetic structure,
and demographic history. The findings revealed an average nucleotide diversity of 0.24 ± 0.16% and
a haplotype diversity of 0.75 ± 0.04. Nucleotide and haplotype diversities were relatively low at
Kaole-Bagamoyo compared to the other studied localities. An Analysis of Molecular Variance
(AMOVA) indicated limited but statistically significant genetic differences among populations (Overall
FST = 0.09, p < 0.01). Pairwise AMOVA revealed genetic difference between the Deep Sea-Tanga
population and all other populations studied with exception of Malindi-Unguja. Analyses of
mismatch distribution, demographic history, and a haplotype network support a scenario of
historical population expansion in the studied species. Immediate effort is required to protect
population exhibiting low genetic diversity in this commercially important ray.
Description
Journal Article
Keywords
lasmobranch, stingray, haplotype network, effective population size, demographic history
Citation
Alex Nehemia (18 Nov 2024): Genetic diversity, population genetic structure and demographic history of the Ribbontail stingray Taeniura lymma (Fabricius, 1775) (elasmobranchii: myliobatiformes: dasyatidae) along the Tanzanian coastline, Mitochondrial DNA Part A, DOI: 10.1080/24701394.2024.2427841