Phylogenetic recunstruction of Blenniidae and Gobiidae based on nuclear gene RAG1

Blenniidae and Gobiidae are permanent residents of the intertidal regions from the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. Phylogenetic relationships of mudskippers (Gobiidae: Oxudercinae) have been studied using mitochondrial genes (COI and Cytb); however, there is no RAG1 sequence record from these families of this region. For the first time, this study presents RAG1 sequences for three species of mudskippers including, Boleophthalmus dussumieri, Periophthalmus waltoni and Scartelaos tenuis which are permanent residents of mudflats and mangroves of the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. Additional 122 sequences from families Gobiidae and Blenniidae published in Genbank were used in order to obtain a representative dataset for the assessment of the phylogenetic position of the new taxa and to test the monophyly of the studied subfamilies. Phylogenetic reconstructions were performed using Maximum likelihood and Bayesian methods and results combined accordingly.Molecular phylogenetic tree proved that Oxudercinae and Amblyopinae are not monophyletic, Sicydiinae is monophyletic and Gobiinae and Gobionellinae could not be recognized as monophyletic taxa; however, species of these subfamilies are classified as separated clades. Blenniinae and Salariinae (Blenniidae) could not be recognized as monophyletic taxa; however, species of these subfamilies are classified as separated clades.