The document discusses research on fish species in the Mexican Caribbean using DNA barcoding to identify larvae, eggs, and stomach contents. It reports the discovery of 69 new larval fish records and outlines the importance of understanding fish spawning areas for sustainable fisheries management, particularly concerning invasive lionfish. Key findings include the identification of prey consumed by lionfish and the necessity for expanding the barcode library for comprehensive fish and crustacean identification.

1. The identification of Larvae, eggs
and stomach contents…
three studies of the application
of barcodes on Mexican fish.
Martha Elena Valdez Moreno
Lourdes Vásquez Yeomans
Carolina Quintal Lizama
Dalia Cázarez Carrillo
Elva Leyva

2. Contoy
Punta Allen
Contoy
B. Chinchorro
Xcalak
Mahahual
Banco Chinchorro
The
Mexican
Caribbean
Xcalak

3. There exist many places of reef
fish spawning aggregations and
nursery areas of economic and
ecological importance.
To ensure the sustainability of
these areas as integrated
ecosystems and the possibility
to protect them, it is essential
to know…

4. What fish species are living in this region?
Where are they?
Adults
Juvenile
74 mm LT
22 mm LT
Larvae
? 19 mm LT
Eggs
7 mm LT

5. Applying barcodes
we have found some interesting things…

6. Barcodes help us to identify the larvae…
69 new records for the Mexican Caribbean
only at larvae stage
Awaous banana Pterois volitans*
River goby Lionfish
Cozumel

7. 7
66 adult species with their larvae, previously unknown.
Family Gerreidae
Genus Eucinostomus
E. jonesii E. melanopterus E. gula
Using barcode
The external morphology is not useful to identify these larvae…..

8. Osteology description Eucinostomus jonesii
clearing technique

9. Barcode allows us to know the distribution and the
time of the appearance of larvae
species economically important
8-29/march/06
19/march/07
Mycteroperca bonaci
Black grouper
Aug/2005
Thunnus atlanticus Mar/2006
Blackfin tuna

10. 7
Family Gerreidae
Genus Eucinostomus
E. jonesii E. melanopterus E. gula
Jan-Aug
All year
Mar-may
Xcalak

11. Egg distribution and the time of the appearance …

12. Regalecus glesne
King of herrings
Cozumel
9-Apr-2009
this fish could approach
the coast in the north of
the largest teleost fish of the world (8-10 m) the Mexican Caribbean
for spawning or feeding

13. Lachnolaimus maximus
Hogfish
Xcalak
adults
1-30 Jan-2007

14. The case of…
Mycteroperca bonaci
Life cycle of the
species
when and where the fishes spawn
development and maintenance fisheries
propose protected areas

15. Lionfish
situation
in
Mexico…

16. There are several reasons to be
concerned about their presence:
They have venomous spines that could Is the first non-
injure divers.
native
marine fish
established in the
Western
North Atlantic and
Mexico has many places that are
Caribbean Sea.
world class scuba diving destination
Lionfish are predators that consume
“mexican” native reef species!!!
What kind of prey do
they eat in the mexican
caribbean ?

17. Stomach contents
What can I do?
Use
Barcode…

18. Stomach contents analysis
Cozumel, Xcalak,Contoy island
122 Pterois volitans Banco Chinchorro,Puerto Morelos
fixed in alcohol (2009) Playa del Carmen
35 fresh digestive tracts were Mahahual
placed in ethylic alcohol 96% Xcalak
(2010)
90% showed a high degree of
digestion of the tissue
A total of 157 stomachs were
examined
only 144 had stomach
contents
We separated 330 prey items

19. Results
170 sequences were compared with a
reference library of DNA barcodes.
125 sequences matched
with fishes
45 sequences matched
with crustacean

20. Fish:
30 different species were identified (12 families)
 5 new records for Mexican Caribbean
1 surprise….
Gobidae*
Apogonidae*
Coryphopterus eidolon C. hyalinus
Apogon townsendi Apogon maculatus
 
C. venezuelae C. thrix
Apogon lachneri

Astrapogon puncticulatus
C. tortugae

Apogon mosavi
Priolepis hipoliti Lythypnus sp
*greatest number of species

21. Tripterygiidae
Enneanectes altivelis Enneanectes boehlkei
Labrisomidae
 mmm…delicius!
Malacoctenus triangulatus Starksia ocellata
Labridae
Thalassoma bifasciatum Halichoeres garnoti
most frecuently we found…
Pomacentridae
Abudefduf sexatilis Stegastes partitus
comelonas

22. Grammatidae Monacanthidae
Gramma loreto Monacanthus tuckeri Pterois volitans
Haemulidae Serranidae
Haemulon flavolineatum
Lioproma rubre Cephalopholis cruentata
Chak-chi
cabrilla
Scaridae
Loros
Sparisoma viridae Scarus iserti Sparisoma aurofrenatum
species economically important

23. Crustacean
45 sequences
Using the barcodes we
could identify 20 different
species.
3 Orders:
Euphausiacea…..1 species
Stomatopoda……2 species
Decapoda………17 species

24. Euphausiacea
Euphausia americana
Euphausia sp
Stomatopoda
Pseudosquilla sp.
This only was able to assign to family level…
Gonodactylidae…

25. Decapoda: 17 species
Hyppolytidae
Thor sp.
Alpheidae (CRU120)
Palaemonidae
Something like this….

26. In Bold
Decapoda: 141 Families
and 2,049 sp sequenced
The BOLD data base is not
complete yet….

27. Conclusions
1. This is an example of how important the barcodes are in the support
of sustainable fisheries.
2. With the help of barcodes we will know when and where the fish
spawn, by directing protection measures in these particular seasons
and sites we well suport fisheries.
3. This is the first time we have a tool that will help us to identify all
species targeted by lion fish.
4. This is the first time that we have been able to report the kind of
prey the lionfish consumes in the Mexican Caribbean.
5. The only limit has been that the barcode library is still incomplete,
mainly crustaceans, but with time it will be possible to identify all
species consumed, not only by exotics, but also by any other species.

28. Acknowledgements:
NOAA y RSMAS
CONANP – Xcalak y Banco Chinchorro
CONABIO y BARCODE of LIFE
ECOSUR
ITCH
Jacc
Diana Manuel
Caro Lulú
Selene Paty

29. Thanks for your
attention!
We need to visit
these places….
Xcalak