Taxonomic relationships between four species of the Mullidae family revealed by three genetic methods: allozymes, random amplified polymorpic DNA andmitochondrial DNA

Genetic distances were lower between Upeneus moluccensis and Pseudopeneus p rayensis than between those species and Mullus barbatus and Mullus surmulet us. However, for allozymes, the two Mullus species were found genetically m ore distinct from U. moluccensis than from P. prayensis, but RAPD and mtDNA analysis showed the opposite. RAPDs revealed less interspecific divergence compared with allozymes and the results they produced were more consistent with mtDNA analysis, Although RAPDs did not add any supplementary taxonomi c information, they proved valuable tools for quick and reliable species di scrimination compared with allozymes and mtDNA. (C) 1999 The Fisheries Soci ety of the British Isles.