Genomic DNA variation confirmed Seriola lalandi comprises three different populations in the Pacific, but with recent divergence

Captive breeding programs and aquaculture production have commenced worldwide for the globally distributed yellowtail kingfish (Seriola lalandi), and captive bred fingerlings are being shipped from the Southern Hemisphere to be farmed in the Northern Hemisphere. It was recently proposed that Pacific S. lalandi comprise at least three distinct species that diverged more than 2 million years ago. Here, we tested the hypothesis of different “species” in the Pacific using novel genomic data (namely single nucleotide polymorphisms and diversity array technology markers), as well as mtDNA and DNA microsatellite variation. These new data support the hypothesis of population subdivision between the Northeast Pacific, Northwest Pacific and South Pacific, and genetic divergence indicates restriction to the gene flow between hemispheres. However, our estimates of maximum mtDNA and nuclear DNA divergences of 2.43% and 0.67%, respectively, were within the ranges more commonly observed for populations within species than species within genera. Accordingly our data support the more traditional view that S. lalandi in the Pacific comprises three distinct populations rather than the subdivisions into several species.