Molecular phylogeny of the hexagrammid fishes using a multi-locus approach.

Ideally, organisms are grouped into monophyletic assemblages reflecting their evolutionary histories. Single (molecular) markers can reflect the evolutionary history of the marker, rather than the species in question, therefore, phylogenetic relationships should be inferred from adequate sampling of characters. Because the use of multiple loci greatly improves the resolving power of the molecular assay, we constructed a molecular phylogeny of the family Hexagrammidae based on six loci, including two mitochondrial and four nuclear loci. The resulting molecular phylogeny, from the combined data, was significantly different from the morphological topology suggested by Shinohara [Memoirs of the Faculty of Fisheries, Hokkaido University 41 (1994) 1]. Our data support a monophyletic assemblage for the genera Hexagrammos and Pleurogrammus. However, other taxa traditionally included in the family Hexagrammidae did not form a monophyletic assemblage. The monotypic genus Ophiodon was more closely associated with cottids than with other hexagrammids. Our data concur with the morphological topology in that the genera Zaniolepis and Oxylebius formed a monophyletic clade, which was distinct and basal to the remaining hexagrammids, seven cottids and one agonid.