Molecular Insights into the Identification, Diversity and Phylogenetics of the Por`s Goatfish Upeneus pori (Actinopterygii: Syngnathiformes: Mullidae) from Odisha Coast, Bay of Bengal, India

Abstract

Numerous different habitats found in marine environments are often conducive to migration and ecological adaption of various marine organisms. The inherent drawbacks of morphology-based identification systems have made it imperative to develop trustworthy genetic techniques that permit the unambiguous identification of fish species. In the present study, seven specimens of the goatfish Upeneus pori Ben-Tuvia and Golani, 1989, were recorded (February 2021) for the first time from the Odisha coast, Bay of Bengal, India. Their DNA was isolated, and mtCOI barcode regions of four specimens were amplified and sequenced successfully. The generated barcode sequences were analyzed using different molecular approaches. U. pori exhibited low genetic variation within populations (average K2P distance = 0.0046). The median joining network of U. pori was simple, with only five haplotypes, including one haplotype present in this region. The analysis of the variation of the amino acids in the mtCOI barcode sequences suggested that there were no significant variations found among U. pori of different geographical locations. The species U. pori was diverged from its common ancestor during the late Miocene sub-epoch, which was around 6.38 Mya. These findings provide insights into the population genetics and evolutionary history of U. pori in this region.