Low levels of interspecific DNA sequence variation of the mitochondrial 16s rRNA in North Atlantic redfish sebastes (Pisces, Scorpaenidae)

During an attempt to develop a molecular method for identification of speci es and morphs of Atlantic Sebastes, extremely low levels of interspecific s equence variation in a mitochondrial large subunit (16S) ribosomal RNA were found. Nucleotide sequencing of a 480 base pair portion of the gene from r epresentatives of six phenotypes of four species of Sebastes was executed. No variation was found among the individuals of 'regular' S. marinus, 'gian t' S. marinus, 'oceanic' S. mentella, and 'deep-sea' S. mentella analyzed. Sequences from S. fasciatis and S. viviparus differed with only one base ea ch from the marinus/mentella haplotype. The low level of genetic variation at this gene makes it unsuitable as a target for methods to identify North Atlantic Sebastes. Level of variation may indicate recent evolutionary dive rgence between the species.