Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique is applied to 12 individuals from each species of the hairtail fishes Trichiurus lepturus and Eupleurogrammus muticus in the Yellow Sea. The percentage of polymorphic sites, degree of genetic polymorphism and genetic distance are compared and the phylogenetic tree is constructed by Neighbor-joining method. The partial mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene is amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and the PCR products are directly sequenced after being purified. These sequences, together with the homologous sequences of another Trichiuridae species Lepidopus caudatus obtained from GenBank, are used to analyze nucleotide difference and to construct a UPGMA phylogenetic tree by means of biological informatics. Analysis shows: (1) the RAPD technique is a highly sensitive method for investigating genetic diversity in T. lepturus, and E. muticus. T. lepturus exhibits a lower polymorphism and genetic diversity than E. muticus; (2) according to the analysis of the partial mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene sequences, a very low intraspecific variation and considerably high divergence among species were found, which reveals a dual nature of conservatism and variability in mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene; (3) five primers generate the species-specific RAPD sites and these sites can be served as the molecular markers for species identification and (4) it can be proved at DNA variation level that T. lepturus and E. muticus are of two species respectively pertaining to different genera, which supports the Nelson taxonomic conclusion.