DNA Barcode and Phylogenetic Analysis of Serranidae Fish (subfamily: Epinephelinae) From a Tropical Island Ecosystem of the Indian Ocean

• V. Sachithanandam ^[1] ; N. Muruganandam ^[2] ; D.S. Sayi ^[2] ; Trivesh S. Mayekar ^[3] ; P. M. Mohan ^[1]
  1. [1] Pondicherry University

     Pondicherry University

     India

     
  2. [2] Regional Medical Research Centre

     Regional Medical Research Centre

     India

     
  3. [3] National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources

     National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources

     India

     

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• Localización: Thalassas: An international journal of marine sciences, ISSN 0212-5919, Vol. 38, Nº. 2 (October 2022), 2022, págs. 843-853
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • The commercially important grouper fishes such as genus Epinephelus and Plectropomus are morphologically ambiguous and difficult to identify by the traditional taxonomic tool, hence misidentification of these species may lead to a decline in their market values. The accuracy of species-level identification using genetic markers is the best method to rapidly identify through an interdisciplinary approach. In recent years, the DNA barcode tool is adopted globally by using a mitochondrial DNA cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (mtDNA COI) partial gene sequence for species-level identification in all eukaryotic organisms. Hence, we have chosen the DNA barcode and phylogenetic relationship to study the molecular identification of grouper fishes from the Indian exclusive economic zone (EEZ), Andaman Island (tropical region). A total of 42 specimens belonging to 11 different species of two genera namely Epinephelus (8 species) and Plectropomus (3 species) were studied using mtDNA COI gene and nuclear DNA recombination-activating gene (nDNA RAG2) sequence analysis for phylogenetic relationship. The COI gene sequence results revealed that species-level taxonomy was exhibited more than 98% genetic independent identity in BOLD and NCBI databases. The neighbour-joining (NJ) trees showed well-distributed species assemblages and formed cohesive clusters by sharing the species of the same genera. The average intraspecific, interspecific and confamilial genetic distances for the COI gene and nDNA RAG2 are 0.21% and 0.21%, 18.85% and 12.65%, and 23.25% and 15.28% respectively. The COI and RAG2 genes sequences clearly showed the relative species and the distance variations among the species (intra) and between species (interspecific) levels. We understand that the COI and RAG2 gene sequences are efficient methods to identify and phylogenetic analysis for marine fishes without any ambiguity. This study data may be useful for grouper fish conservation, taxonomy, biodiversity status, and stock assessment. In addition, this study indicates the sustainable fishery management regulation and protects the species listed under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).