Abstract
Nucleotide sequences of a partial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene were used to assess the manner in which historical processes and geomorphological effects may have influenced genetic structuring and phylogeographic patterns in Channa striata. Assaying was based on individuals from twelve populations in four river systems, which were separated into two regions, the eastern and western, of the biodiversely rich state of Perak in central Peninsular Malaysia. In 238 specimens, a total of 368-bp sequences with ten polymorphic sites and eleven unique haplotypes were detected. Data on all the twelve populations revealed incomplete divergence due to past historical coalescence and the short period of separation. Nevertheless, SAMOVA and FST revealed geographical structuring existed to a certain extent in both regions. For the eastern region, the data also showed that the upstream populations were genetically significantly different compared to the mid- and downstream ones. It is inferred that physical barriers and historical processes played a dominant role in structuring the genetic dispersal of the species. A further inference is that the Grik, Tanjung Rambutan and Sungkai are potential candidates for conservation and aquaculture programmes since they contained most of the total diversity in this area.
Highlights
Channa striata, locally known as haruan or snakehead murrel, an eminent tropical freshwater fish widely used for medicinal and pharmaceutical purposes (Mat Jais et al, 1994; Michelle et al, 2004), is an important food source in the Asia-Pacific region (Froese and Pauly, 2008; Hossain et al, 2008)
As is frequently observed in many important food-fish, overharvesting and other anthropogenic factors have resulted in severe damage to its natural habitat, with a subsequent decline in the indigenous stock of the species (Nagarajan et al, 2006; Hossain et al, 2008)
Previous studies have focused on reproductive biology (Ali, 1999), medical and pharmaceutical properties (Baie and Sheikh, 2000; Michelle et al, 2004), biochemical composition (Zuraini et al, 2006; Zakaria et al, 2007), ecology (Lee and Ng, 1994; Amilhat and Lorenzen, 2005), breeding (Haniffa et al, 2000), diet (Roshada, 1994; Arul, 2008) and morphological characters (Chandra and Banerjee, 2004), with only limited available information on population genetics of the species, especially in Malaysia
Summary
Locally known as haruan or snakehead murrel, an eminent tropical freshwater fish widely used for medicinal and pharmaceutical purposes (Mat Jais et al, 1994; Michelle et al, 2004), is an important food source in the Asia-Pacific region (Froese and Pauly, 2008; Hossain et al, 2008).
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