Mugil curema in Argentinean waters: Combined morphological and molecular approach

A previously unidentified mullet species (Mugil sp.) from Mar Chiquita lagoon, Argentina, was compared with two candidate species Mugil curema and M. cephalus using 12 truss landmarks and three mitochondrial DNA genes (12S rRNA, cytochrome b and COI). Both procedures confirmed that the Argentinean fish were white mullet M. curema. Morphological comparisons clearly segregated M. curema from M. cephalus samples in PCA plot. Similarly, Argentinean haplotypes at each gene overlapped with M. curema reference samples while M. cephalus haplotypes remained distinct. These combined data provide a valuable baseline for further investigations on the geographic distribution of this commercially important species group.