ELECTROPHORETIC INVESTIGATION OF THE FAMILY SCORPAENIDAE 



Allyn G. Johnson, Fred M. Utter, and Harold O. Hodgins' 



ABSTRACT 



Thirty-one species of three genera of the family Scorpaenidae were separated into 17 

 groups based on starch gel electrophoretic comparison of muscle proteins and six enzy- 

 matic systems. This study concluded that relatively greater similarity existed between 

 the Pacific Sebastes and the Atlantic Sebastes than between either and the other genera. 

 Ten of the 27 species of Pacific Sebastes tested had unique biochemical profiles which may 

 be useful for identification of specimens. 



The family Scorpaenidae contains several ge- 

 nera in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. On the 

 Pacific coast of North America there are four 

 genera — Sebastes," Sebastolobus, Scorpaena, 

 and Scorpaenodes. The genus of Pacific 

 Sebastes contains over 50 species (Tsuyuki 

 et al, 1968). In this genus new species and ex- 

 tensions of known distribution ranges have been 

 described in recent years (Westrheim, 1965; 

 Westrheim and Tsuyuki, 1967; Nishimoto, 1970; 

 Tsuyuki and Westrheim, 1970). At present 

 there are difficulties in showing taxonomic re- 

 lations and, in some instances, in making positive 

 identification of specimens using morphometric 

 and meristic methods, although taxonomic re- 

 lations can be obtained by biochemical methods. 

 Starch gel electrophoresis — developed by Smith- 

 ies (1955) — coupled with histochemical proce- 

 dures (Hunter and Markert, 1957) is one of the 

 best biochemical techniques for taxonomic 

 studies. 



Scorpaenid muscle proteins and hemoglobin 

 were investigated by starch gel electrophoresis 

 by Tsuyuki et al. (1968). They suggested that 

 the electrophoretic evidence did not support the 

 separation of the two genera Sebastodes and 

 Sebastes. Chu (1968), using disk electrophore- 

 sis of muscle proteins, found different patterns 



^ National Marine Fisheries Service, Northwest Fish- 

 eries Center, Seattle Laboratory, 2725 Montlake Boule- 

 vard East, Seattle, WA 98102. 



^ In this paper we follow the designation of Bailey 

 (1970) and Chen (1971), considering Sebastodes as Se- 

 bastes. Members of the genus Sebastes that were col- 

 lected along the Pacific Coast of North America are sig- 

 nified in this paper as Pacific Sebastes. 



in two out of eight species of Sebastodes. Altuk- 

 hov and Nefyodov (1968) demonstrated serum 

 protein diff'erences between Sebastes marinus 

 and S. mentella using agar gel electrophoresis. 

 This paper reports the findings of our inves- 

 tigation of proteins and six enzyme systems 

 found in the skeletal muscle or liver of members 

 of the family Scorpaenidae. Our study involved 

 27 species of Pacific Sebastes, 2 of the Atlantic 

 Sebastes, and 1 each of Sebastolobus and Helico- 

 lenus. We present information on the relative 

 biochemical similarity between genera and a 

 key which separates 10 of the 27 Pacific Sebastes 

 species studied. This was not a genetic study 

 per se but a research which demonstrated repeat- 

 able biochemical diff"erences between species. 

 The observed constancy of biochemical charac- 

 ters examined within a species in samples taken 

 at diflferent ages, depths, and geographic loca- 

 tions is evidence that the reported diff'erences 

 between species are, indeed, genetic. Alternate 

 explanations for such repeatable expression of 

 proteins under the above conditions seem much 

 less likely. 



MATERIAL AND METHODS 



Sampling data including location, species, and 

 number of individuals collected are given in 

 Table 1. 



Most samples were frozen quickly after cap- 

 ture, but in some instances were kept on ice for 

 short periods; all samples were kept frozen at 

 — 20 °C after receipt at the laboratory until 

 tested. Extracts were prepared by mixing equal 



Manuscript accepted November 1971. 



FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL. 70, NO. 2, 1972. 



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