Fistularia commersonii (Teleostea: Fistulariidae): walking through the Lessepsian paradox of mitochondrial DNA

Abstract The Mediterranean Lessepsian migrations excite the interest of biologists who are devoted to inferring the effects of selection on the genetic structure of immigrants. The bluespotted cornetfish Fistularia commersonii is an Indo-Pacific species that was first recorded in the Levantine cost of Mediterranean, and within a few years, it rapidly expanded throughout the entire basin. Studies on its genetic variability, performed via mitochondrial sequencing of the Mediterranean specimens, suggest that a limited number of mitochondrial lineages passed through the Suez Canal. However, nuclear markers provide a scenario, with a high genetic variability among the Mediterranean F. commersonii migrants, along with the occurrence of haplotype sharing between the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. The aim of this study was to enlarge the number of Mediterranean sites in order to evaluate if the rapid expansion and different patterns of spread of F. commersonii in the basin could have led to a genetic structuring. The analysis was carried out by sequencing mitochondrial D-loop I in individuals from Sardinia, Sicily, Tunisia, Lampedusa, Libya and Lebanon. Sequences available from previous studies were included in the data set, allowing us to obtain a data set that likely represents the entire distribution range of the species. Results suggest the possible occurrence of two mitochondrial lineages involved in the Mediterranean invasion of F. commersonii, a bottleneck may have caused a loss in the genetic variation, leading to the fixation of specific lineages as an adaptive response to the new environmental conditions.