Molecular Characterization of Indigenous Small Fishes

The identification of indigenous small, wild, or less noteworthy fish species heavily relies on morphometric and meristic traits. However, morphometric and meristic trait varies during the life stage which underprops the preference toward molecular methodologies for species documentation. The identification and characterization of indigenous small fishes are prerequisites for fish experts, planners, and culture specialists. Molecular taxonomic approaches enable precise species identification of these small fishes. The mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) along with the nuclear gene is well-suited for molecular taxonomic studies. mtDNA is particularly well-suited for molecular taxonomic studies due to its accessibility, rapid evolution rates, and clonal inheritance pattern. However, mtDNA has limitations due to interspecific hybridization, the inclusion of nuclear copies (paralogy), and differential sorting of polymorphisms. The nuclear marker along with the mtDNA marker will overcome these limitations. DNA barcoding technology based on cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (CO1) is an important marker of choice for molecular identification. The nuclear gene, recombination activating 2 (rag2) fragments along with the CO1 gene will give a clear resolution for species identification and documentation. The molecular taxonomy will enhance our understanding of commercially significant indigenous small fishes.