First Record of Tylosurus crocodilus (Péron & Lesueur, 1821) (Beloniformes: Belonidae) from Odisha Coast, Bay of Bengal, India: Exploration of a Biological Invasion Using DNA Barcoding

Abstract

Adult hound needlefish Tylosurus crocodilus (Peron & Lesueur, 1821) were collected from the Buxipalli fish landing center (FLC) of Gopalpur-on-sea, Odisha coast. Using conventional morpho-taxonomy methods, the fish was morphologically identified as Tylosurus crocodilus (Peron & Lesueur, 1821) belonging to the family Belonidae. The capture of the hound needlefish of the Odisha coast is of particular interest in that it represents an early extension to the known range of this species in the north-eastern part of Bay of Bengal and the first record in Odisha coast. In order to ascertain the phylogenetic relationships with other allied species and to understand the genetic uniqueness of the fish, DNA barcoding approach was attempted, which is reportedly known as a promising tool to aid species identification over the traditional morpho-taxonomy or cyto-taxonomy methods. Cytochrome Oxidase subunit I (COI) gene sequence of the mitochondrial genome, which acts as a marker for discriminating a species from the other, was analyzed. No stop codons, insertions or deletions were found in the amplified sequences, showing that they constitute functional mitochondrial COI sequence. The amplified COI gene sequence exhibit unique barcode haplotype which permitted the discrimination of species. The phylogenetic trees revealed distinct clusters in concurrence with the taxonomic status of the species. Morphometric, meristic and molecular data confirmed the first record of Tylosurus crocodilus in Odisha coast of Bay of Bengal.