Identification of ichthyoplankton in the East China Sea off the Coast of
Zhoushan Archipelago using an integrated strategy of morphology and DNA
barcoding
Abstract
The East China Sea (ECS) off the Coast of Zhoushan Archipelago, Zhejiang
(ECS-CZA) is home to abundant fishery resources and an important
spawning, feeding, and nursing ground for a variety of fish species. Due
to long-term overfishing, the ichthyoplankton structure has been
dramatically altered. Understanding the species composition and
distribution of fish eggs and larvae is one of the most essential tasks
to accurately regulate fishery resources and formulate effective
management policies; however, little is known about the ichthyoplankton
in this region. In this study, an integrated strategy of morphology
identification (MI) and mitochondrial COI DNA barcoding were used to
identify species of fish eggs and larvae collected from the ECS-CZA. MI
revealed 15 fish egg species belonging to 12 families and 12 fish larva
species belonging to 12 families; in contrast, DNA barcoding altogether
identified 30 species, including 18 fish egg species and 13 fish larva
species. One species was shared between the egg and larva samples. Our
study offers useful tools and critical scientific information for
understanding the recruitment, distribution, and conservation management
of various fish species in this marine environment.