Genetic Analysis of Mixed Individuals Reveals Different Spawning Populations of the Tetrapturus pfluegeri (Longbill Spearfish) in the Western Atlantic Ocean

Abstract

Populations of several billfish species are declining due to overfishing and bycatch, and fundamental aspects of their biology and population dynamics remain poorly understood. We provide the first assessment of the population genetic structure of longbill spearfish (Tetrapturus pfluegeri) in the western Atlantic Ocean. We screened variation at 12 nuclear microsatellite loci (n = 144) and mitochondrial DNA control region sequences (mtCR, n = 177). Both marker types revealed three genetically differentiated clusters, with mean values for microsatellites showing differentiation of FST = 0.136 and DEST = 0.201, and for mtCR FST = 0.645. Microsatellite markers demonstrated moderate-to-high genetic diversity, with a mean allelic richness of 6.73 alleles per locus, moderate heterozygosities (Ho = 0.446, He = 0.604), and a positive inbreeding coefficient (FIS = 0.22) across the three sample collection sites. The overall estimated effective population size was 789.2 (95% CI: 246.7–∞). The mtCR exhibited 96 haplotypes, with high haplotype (0.989 ± 0.003) and nucleotide (0.025 ± 1.3%) diversities. We found higher mean relatedness within clusters than among them, supporting the interpretation of population subdivision and the Wahlund effect. Tajima’s D and Fu’s Fs were negative across all localities, with significant values observed along the Brazilian coast but not in the Caribbean Sea. These neutrality test results, together with low Harpending’s raggedness indices from DNA sequence mismatch distributions, are consistent with historical demographic expansion. Our findings establish a genetic baseline for fishery monitoring and management, contributing to the conservation of T. pfluegeri populations in the western Atlantic Ocean.

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