Abstract
Threadfin porgy (Evynnis cardinalis) is an important commercial
fishing target of bottom trawl fisheries in the northern South China
Sea. It is mainly threatened by overexploitation and listed as
endangered in the IUCN Red List. To investigate E. cardinalis
population demographic history and genetic structure, fragments of the
mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene were sequenced for 162
individuals collected from Beibu Gulf, South China Sea. In total, 44
different haplotypes were identified, and the dominant widespread
haplotype was found in all 11 sampling sites. Across the dataset,
nucleotide diversity was low but haplotype diversity was high. Low
pairwise comparisons of ΦST and high gene flow between all sampling
sites revealed a genetically homogeneous population structure in Beibu
Gulf, which indicated a single panmictic stock of E. cardinalis in this
area. The star-like haplotype network, unimodal mismatch distribution,
and significantly negative Tajima’s D and Fu’s Fs values indicated
recent population demographic expansion of E. cardinalis. The mismatch
distribution and Bayesian skyline plot results indicated that E.
cardinalis from Beibu Gulf experienced colonization and demographic
expansion during the late Pleistocene due to sea level fluctuations.