The complete mitochondrial genome and phylogenetic position of Schizothorax argentatus (Cyprinomorpha: Crypriniformes: Cyprinidae).

Abstract

We investigated the vulnerable fish species Schizothorax argentatus Kessler, 1874, using low-coverage whole genome sequencing data. The assembled 16,587 bp mitochondrial genome has a nucleotide composition of A = 29.8%, T = 25.3%, G = 17.9%, and C = 27.0%, containing 13 protein-coding genes, two ribosomal RNA genes, and 22 transfer RNA genes with a gene arrangement identical to other cofamilial species. Phylogenetic analyses of 71 schizothoracine fishes suggest a close relationship between S. argentatus and Schizothorax eurystomus, sharing a common ancestor with Schizothorax pseudoaksaiensis. Our study supports dividing extant schizothoracine fishes into two tribes, Schizothoracini and Schizopygopsini. The estimated time to most recent common ancestor (t_MRCA) and their distribution imply geological and climatic events during the Miocene around the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau as significant evolutionary drivers explaining the diversification of main clades in schizothoracine fishes.