A peer-reviewed open-access journal ZooKeys 617: 139–164 (2016) Identification of sand lances 139 doi: 10.3897/zookeys.617.8866 RESEARCH ARTICLE http://zookeys.pensoft.net Launched to accelerate biodiversity research How reliably can northeast Atlantic sand lances of the genera Ammodytes and Hyperoplus be distinguished? A comparative application of morphological and molecular methods Ralf Thiel1, Thomas Knebelsberger2 1 University of Hamburg, Center of Natural History, Zoological Museum, 20146 Hamburg, Germany 2 Sen- ckenberg am Meer, German Centre for Marine Biodiversity Research (DZMB), 26382 Wilhelmshaven, Germany Corresponding author: Ralf Thiel (
[email protected]) Academic editor: N. Bogutskaya | Received 15 April 2016 | Accepted 6 August 2016 | Published 15 September 2016 http://zoobank.org/4C346884-E55E-4790-AAF8-FF44A4A89D6B Citation: Thiel R, Knebelsberger T (2016) How reliably can northeast Atlantic sand lances of the generaAmmodytes and Hyperoplus be distinguished? A comparative application of morphological and molecular methods. ZooKeys 617: 139–164. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.617.8866 Abstract Accurate stock assessments for each of the dominant species of sand lances in the northeast Atlantic Ocean and adjacent areas are not available due to the lack of a reliable identification procedure; therefore, ap- propriate measures of fisheries management or conservation of sand lances cannot be implemented. In this study, detailed morphological and molecular features are assessed to discriminate between four species of sand lances belonging to the genera Ammodytes and Hyperoplus. Morphological characters described by earlier authors as useful for identification of the genera are confirmed, and two additional distinguishing characters are added. A combination of the following mor- phological characters is recommended to distinguish between the genera Hyperoplus and Ammodytes: the protrusibility of the premaxillae, the presence of hooked ends of the prevomer, the number of dermal pli- cae, and the pectoral-fin length as a percentage of the standard length.