Research Experience for Teachers

Alla Mauke
A.S. - Bergen Community College
B.S. - University of Massachusetts

Carole C. Baldwin, Ph.D.
Supervising Scientist
Department of Systematic Biology
Vertebrate Zoology, Fishes

"This experience was an amazing,
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"

Is Ophioblennius atlanticus more than one species?

The redlip blenny, Ophioblennius atlanticus, is a small (< 10 inches) fish that perches on coral or rocky reefs in shallow tropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean. This fish has a broad geographical distribution, ranging north to the Azores, south to St. Helena Island and Brazil, west to the western Caribbean, and east to the west coast of Africa. A single species comprising two subspecies traditionally has been recognized based on an anatomical study published in 1962 by Smithsonian ichthyologist V.G. Springer. More recently, a study published in 2000 (Muss, et. al.) compared DNA between individuals from different localities to determine genetic differences. The results suggested that O. atlanticus comprises not one but five different species, geographically distributed as follows: 1) Brazil, 2) Caribbean/western Atlantic, 3) Saõ Tomé, 4) Azores/Cape Verde, and 5) mid-Atlantic. The purpose of the present study was to determine if there are anatomical features that support the recognition of five separate species of Atlantic Ophioblennius. Two hundred eighty preserved museum specimens were X-rayed using digital or film techniques in order to make counts of fin rays and vertebrae. Specimens were then chosen from representative locations to “clear and stain.” Clearing and staining is a process that removes all soft tissue beneath the skin while staining both cartilage and bone, leaving a clearly visible skeleton that can be examined microscopically to determine differences in the shapes of bones or cartilage among specimens. Finally, external structures and color patterns were examined. The results of this research suggest that five geographically distinct groups of Atlantic Ophioblennius can be identified on the basis of color patterns: 1) Brazil, 2) Caribbean/western Atlantic, 3) St. Helena/Ascension, 4) west coast of Africa (Senegal), and 5) Azores/Canaries/Madeira. One of these, the Caribbean, also can be distinguished based on fin-ray and vertebral counts. Further study of specimens with well-preserved pigment patterns is needed to determine to which group populations from certain eastern Atlantic localities (e.g. Saõ Tomé, Cape Verde) belong. Groups recognized in this study based on anatomy correspond well geographically with groups recognized in the genetic study, supporting the existence of five species of Ophioblennius in the Atlantic. Future work will include describing all Atlantic species of Ophioblennius and determining how they are related to one another genealogically; from the latter, the pattern of speciation of “the redlip blenny” in the Atlantic Ocean will be hypothesized.

This research was supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Teachers Award Number EEC-973148, Supplement #11.

Letter of Gratitude