Phylogenetic relationships among four species of Mullidae (Perciformes) inferred from DNA sequences of mitochondrial cytochrome b and 16S rRNA genes.

DNA sequence comparisons of two mitochondrial DNA genes were used to infer phylogenetic relationships among four species of mullids. Approximately 238bp of the mitochondrial 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) and 261bp of the cytochrome b (cytb) genes were sequenced from representatives of three mullid genera (Mullus, Upeneus, Pseudopeneus), present in the Mediterranean Sea. Trees were constructed using three methods: maximum likelihood (ML), neighbor joining (NJ) and parsimony (MP). The results of the analyses of these data together with published data of the same mtDNA segments of two other perciform species (Sparus aurata, Perca fluviatilis), support the previous taxonomic classification of the three genera examined, as well as the classification of the two red mullet species in the same genus.