Table 1.

Cardiac Mb mRNA levels in 11 teleost species. (Phylogenetic relationships are shown in figure 1.)

species	family	order	heart colour	Mb mRNA (mean)	Mb mRNA (s.d.)	n
Anguilla anguilla	Anguillidae	Anguilliformes	red	33.30	11.39	3
Gnathonemus petersii	Mormyridae	Osteoglossiformes	red	13.58	2.25	4
Chitala chitala	Notopteridae	Osteoglossiformes	red	4.75	1.07	4
Pantodon buchholzi	Pantodontidae	Osteoglossiformes	palea	0.02	0.01	4
Danio rerio	Cyprinidae	Cypriniformes	red	10.45	1.16	3
Bunocephalus coracoideus	Aspredinidae	Siluriformes	red	18.02	0.59	3
Apteronotus albifrons	Apteronotidae	Gymnotiformes	orange	17.05	5.97	3
Salmo salar	Salmonidae	Salmoniformes	red	5.16	1.43	4
Amatitlania nigrofasciata	Cichlidae	Perciformes	red	16.10	2.58	4
Trichopodus trichopterus	Osphronemidae	Perciformes	palea	0.41	0.39	4
Gasterosteus aculeatus	Gasterosteidae	Perciformes	paleb	6.46 × 10−5	4.33 × 10−5	4

^aRetains a functional Mb protein.

^bMb pseudogene.