Accurate species identification is essential for the successful implementation of species conservation strategies and research. East Pacific horn sharks (genus Heterodontus) may be subject to overfishing and depletion in some areas, mandating an assessment of risk and vulnerability to exploitation. Unfortunately, morphological identification of the three eastern Pacific species can be challenging, creating uncertainty about species identifications and the true extent of their respective ranges. To address this problem, we developed a PCR-RFLP method to quickly and accurately identify the three species of Heterodontus occupying the coastlines and islands of the eastern Pacific (H. francisci, H. mexicanus, and H. quoyi). The PCR-RFLP assay requires only a single amplification of the mitochondrial NADH2 locus (1216 bp) and a single digestion step with restriction enzyme AluI. The assay was tested on 67 individuals representing all three species and resulted in unambiguous species identification for 100% of individuals tested.

准确的物种识别对于成功实施物种保护策略和研究至关重要。东太平洋角鲨（Heterodontus属）在某些地区可能会过度捕捞和消耗，因此必须对剥削的风险和脆弱性进行评估。不幸的是，对三种东太平洋物种的形态鉴定可能具有挑战性，这给物种鉴定及其各自范围的真实范围带来了不确定性。为了解决这个问题，我们开发了一种PCR-RFLP方法，可以快速，准确地识别出东太平洋海岸线和岛屿上的三种杂种动物（H. francisci，H。mexicanus和H. quoyi）。）。PCR-RFLP分析仅需要线粒体NADH2基因座的单个扩增（1216 bp）和限制性酶AluI的单个消化步骤。在代表所有三个物种的67个个体上测试了该测定法，并对100％的测试个体进行了明确的物种鉴定。