First record of two squirrelfishes, Sargocentron spinosissimum and Sargocentron tiereoides (Actinopterygii, Beryciformes, Holocentridae) from the Egyptian Mediterranean coast

Holocentrinae and Myripristinae (Holocentridae) are among the most apparent species in the nocturnal reef fish community. However, there is no clear assent regarding their phylogenetic relations, which is reported in their complicated taxonomic history. In this study, Sargocentron spinosissimum (Temminck et Schlegel, 1843) and Sargocentron tiereoides (Bleeker, 1853) were reported from the Mediterranean coast of Egypt (Damietta coast). This is the first record of these species which is greatly distributed across Indo-Pacific regions and eastern Africa showed the success of these species to migrate to the Mediterranean water with a good adaptation to the new habitats. In the presently reported study, 26 morphometric measurements were recorded and cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) barcodes were recovered for a total of 20 specimens (8 from S. spinosissimum and 12 from S. tiereoides). The specimens from the Damietta coast, Egypt show character states diagnostic of S. spinosissimum: Head is curved. Spinous dorsal fin base straight. Soft dorsal fin base slightly raised. Spinous dorsal fin membranes red. Anterior margin of pelvic and anal fins white. Other fin rays are red. While character states diagnostic of S. tiereoides: Head is straight and pointed. Spinous dorsal fin base almost straight. Soft dorsal fin base not raised and spinous dorsal fin membranes vaguely red. Sequences of both species were submitted to the GenBank and Barcode of Life Database (BOLD) publication database which displayed 99%–100% similarity value S. tiereoides from GenBank and BOLD databases but, S. spinosissimum has not any deposited sequences from GenBank or BOLD. DNA barcoding based on COI gene was demonstrated as a powerful and useful molecular marker in the identification and differentiation of S. spinosissimum and S. tiereoides fish species.