DNA barcoding supports life stages of wrasse fish, Novaculichthys taeniourus (Family Labridae) in the Hurghada Red Sea, Egypt

Family Labridae considered diverse group of the fish that come in a variety of body forms, sizes, colors, and environments. Due to the great overlap between the species of this family, we find it very difficult to classify them using traditional methods. The goal of current study is to look at intra-specific development in Novaculichthys taeniourus, family Labridae. To assess whether the differences of morphological aspects are related to age differences, we conducted morphometric and DNA barcoding analyses. The majority of related body metrics in both sub-adult and adult were development, according to the findings. However, there is no significant changes in cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) sequence were found between sub-adult and adult specimens studied, indicating that the differences of phenotypic are related to development rather than differences of the species.