A CORRECTION TO - BIOLOGICAL AND OCEANOGRAPHIC INSIGHTS FROM LARVAL LABRID (PISCES, LABRIDAE) IDENTIFICATION USING MTDNA SEQUENCES

Previously published mtDNA cytochrome b sequences for Xyrichtys novacu la (Linnaeus) and two morphologically distinct types of Xyrichtys larv ae (Pisces: Labridae) included human cytochrome b sequence, presumably due to sample contamination and/or poor preservation of sample DNA. T hose sequences had been used to identify the two types of Xyrichtys la rvae as X. novacula, but owing to the contamination, the identificatio ns are invalid. Fresh specimens were collected: X. martinicensis (Cuvi er and Valenciennes), X. novacula, X. splendens (Castelnau), and Xyric htys sp. larvae of each of the two morphotypes (dorsal-forward eye and ventral-forward eye). The cytochrome b fragment was amplified from ea ch specimen using the polymerase chain reaction, Comparison of the seq uences with human cytochrome b sequence confirmed that the new sequenc es were not contaminated. The interspecific differences in Xyrichtys s equences were less than previously reported, but still greater than ob served in many fish genera. Distance and parsimony analyses indicated that X. novacula and X. martinicensis were more closely related to eac h other than to X. splendens. This conclusion differs from our previou s conclusion that X. martinicensis and X. splendens were more closely related to each other than to X. novacula. Distance and parsimony anal yses also demonstrated that both larval morphotypes were X. novacula a nd, thus, our previous conclusions regarding larval ecology and oceano graphic transport remain unchanged.