University of Isfahan Taxonomy and Biosystematics 3115-9001 16 59 2024 08 22 Morphological and molecular identification of the small-scale grouper, Epinephelus polylepis,(Perciformes: Epinephelidae) from the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman شناسایی ریختی و مولکولی گروپر فلس کوچک، Epinephelus polylepis J. E. Randall & Heemstra, 1991 (سوف ماهی شکلان: Epinephilidae) از خلیج فارس و خلیج عمان 1 14 28703 10.22108/tbj.2024.141401.1262 EN Masoumeh Gholipour Gilak Ph. D. Student, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran Faezeh Yazdani Moghaddam Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran Mehdi Ghanbarifardi Associate Professor, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Sistan and Baluchistan, Zahedan, Iran Ehsan Damadi Ph. D. Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran 0009-0007-4133-8576 Journal Article 2024 05 06 The small-scale grouper <em>Epinephelus polylepis</em> from the family Epinephilidae, is an important commercial species that plays a crucial role in coastal benthic ecosystems. Previous studies have failed to accurately identify this species in the northern region of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. The aim of this study is to analyze the samples of <em>E. polylepis</em> collected in the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman using a combination of morphological and molecular data. The morphological data include 17 morphological characters and six counting characters. For the molecular study, sequences of the mitochondrial COI were used, which were combined with GenBank sequences. The samples were collected in the sandy areas of two stations, Tis and Qeshm. This species can be distinguished from other congeners by the presence of smaller and closer spots on the fins and spots on the back of the head and body. Analysis of the COI sequences of the mitochondrial DNA and samples sequenced in this study and samples from the vicinity of the typing site (Bahrain) revealed a monophyletic group with a high posterior probability and a low intraspecific genetic distance (0.19%). In addition, molecular analysis completely separated this species from other congeners. https://tbj.ui.ac.ir/article_28703_454af87f2aa8130e999565135d1f1288.pdf