Alignments of Sequence Data for Phylogenetic Analysis of Damsel

Initially described in 1882, Chromis enchrysurus, the Yellowtail Reeffish,
was redescribed in 1982 to account for an observed color morph that
possesses a white tail instead of a yellow one, but morphological and
geographic boundaries between the two color morphs were not well
understood. Taking advantage of newly collected material from submersible
studies of deep reefs and photographs from rebreather dives, we sought to
determine whether the white-tailed Chromis is actually a color morph of
Chromis enchrysurus or a distinct species. These alignments for
mitochondrial genes cytochrome b and cytochrome c oxidase subunit
I  were used to generate phylogenetic trees that separated
Chromis enchrysurus and the white-tailed Chromis into two reciprocally
monophyletic clades. Genetic, morphological, and biogeographic
data all indicate that the white-tailed Chromis is a distinct species,
herein described as Chromis vanbebberae sp. nov. The discovery of a new
species within a conspicuous group such as damselfishes in a well-studied
region of the world highlights the importance of deep-reef exploration in
documenting undiscovered biodiversity.