ISSN: 2577-4050
Authors: Herman van der B*
Sharks and their fins have been targeted increasingly. Fishermen can sell fins for a much higher price than they are able to sell shark meat; shark fin soup is an expensive delicacy. This results in a wasteful and inhumane practice of finning (fins are cut off sharks that are often still alive). Countries such as South Africa have banned finning. This study of two out group species (bony fishes), species from the subclasses Elasmobranchii (rays, sharks and skates) and Holocephali (elephantfish and rattails) indicate the individuals’ phylogenetic relationships for the first time. Twenty species from 17 genera and 13 families were analysed and all the individuals have never been DNA barcoded in the HVDBE project. It reveals most of the groups of fishes to be monophyletic (as also reported in previous studies, but for different individuals and mostly other species). However, the Elasmobranchii are polyphyletic. Average K2P intraspecies distances between the fishes range from zero to 14.65%. The focus of this study is on the correct identification of the individuals, contributing to the DNA sequence library for use in species identification; it can be used for law enforcement (i.e. even for individuals lacking diagnostic body parts).
Keywords: Cytochrome oxidase 1 gene; Divergence; Chondrichthyes; Genetic; Mitochondrial data
