RESEARCH ARTICLE

Pseudojuloides edwardi, n. sp. (Perciformes: Labridae): an example of evolution of male-display phenotype outpacing divergence in mitochondrial genotype

Benjamin C. Victor & John E. Randall

Abstract

The new species Pseudojuloides edwardi is described from aquarium-trade specimens obtained from the African coast near Mombasa, Kenya. The species is distinguished from its two sibling species, P. severnsi (from the Philippines, Indonesia, Japan, New Caledonia, and Sri Lanka) and P. erythrops (from Mauritius), by a spectacular yellow-on-magenta reticulum on the head and forebody of the terminal-phase male and other details of the markings and color patterns. Despite the arresting color differences, the barcode COI mtDNA sequences for specimens of P. edwardi are very close to the P. severnsi clade, differing by 3 base pairs out of 652, well within the intraspecific range of variation. The two species likely represent a case of evolution of reproductive isolating mechanisms outpacing the accumulation of neutral mutations in mitochondrial DNA sequences. As in a number of other examples of shared mitochondrial sequences between recently diverged reef fish species, the phenotypic differences are primarily in color patterns on the head, the focus of mating displays for species recognition in many coral reef fishes.