DNA barcoding of a lesser-known catfish, Clupisoma bastari (Actinopterygii: Ailiidae) from Deccan Peninsula, India

Abstract

DNA barcoding substantiates species identification, and simultaneously indicates the misnomer taxa. Based on the morphological descriptions, we identified a lesser-known catfish, Clupisoma bastari, from Godavari River basin, and contributed novel DNA barcode data to the GenBank. The Kimura 2 parameter genetic divergence between species, and the neighbour-joining phylogeny clearly depicted a distinct clade of C. bastari in the studied dataset. Clupisoma bastari maintained sufficient K2P genetic divergence (8.3% to 11.2%) with other congeners, and branched as a sister-species of C. garua. The present study highlights possible existence of a few misnomer taxa in the GenBank. We encourage further extensive sampling of different congeners of Clupisoma from a wide range of habitats to explore the species diversity and phylogenetic relationship.