Leucism in a commercially important monotypic marine teleost, the Cobia Rachycentron canadum (Linnaeus, 1766)

Pathissery John Sarlin; Sandie Morris; Sancia Morris; Savio Morris; Polycarp  Joseph; Lijin Gopi

doi:10.30550/j.azl/2351

Autores

Pathissery John Sarlin PG and Research Department of Zoology, Fatima Mata National College (Autonomous), University of Kerala, Kollam, India https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8604-5194
Sandie Morris Government Engineering College, Thrissur, Kerala https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8666-4064
Sancia Morris Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology, Pfinztal, Germany https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6842-7946
Savio Morris hangal Kunju Musaliar College of Engineering, Kollam, Kerala https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5866-5273
Polycarp Joseph Kollam Birding Battalion, Kollam https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9406-7297
Lijin Gopi School of Medicine and Public Health, Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Ma- dison, USA https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5535-8307

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30550/j.azl/2351

Palavras-chave:

Leucism, Cobia, Rachycentron canadum, Color anomaly, Hypomelanosis, Pigment deficiency, Morphological variation

Resumo

We report the first confirmed case of leucism in wild cobia (Rachycentron canadum), a widely distributed and economically significant marine teleost, from the southwest coast of India. The specimen was captured near Kollam, Kerala, and exhibited extensive hypopigmentation across the body, with only faint dorsal markings and normally pigmented eyes, distinguishing it from albinism. Morphological identification was corroborated using standard taxonomic keys, and genetic analysis of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene confirmed the specimen’s identity with 100% sequence match to R. canadum reference sequences in GenBank and BOLD. Comparison with a normally pigmented individual highlighted the rarity and visual distinctiveness of this coloration anomaly. Leucism in marine fishes is uncommon and may arise due to genetic, environmental, or epigenetic factors, though the exact cause in this case remains undetermined. This finding contributes to the growing documentation of pigmentary abnormalities in wild marine fishes and raises questions about the underlying mechanisms and potential ecological consequences. Future studies integrating broader genomic and ecological data are needed to elucidate the drivers of such rare phenotypes.

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