Molecular signatures and diagnostic nucleotides for the fishes of the tropical brackish water lake in South Asia for conservation and management

Abstract

The Pulicat Lake habitat is one of the most productive and precious ecosystems in India. This study aimed to develop the species-specific molecular signatures and determine the phylogenetic relationship of fish species distributed in the Pulicat Lake. In the present study, a data set of 1008 mtCOI sequences was obtained from the published resources and used to screen character-based molecular diagnostic keys for species in silico. DNA barcodes were generated from 29 fish species fish representing 7 orders, 28 genera, and 21 families. Species-specific probes with a length range of 18–32 bp were designed on the basis of identified diagnostic nucleotide sites. The probes, developed in this study, could be used to develop DNA chips to identify fish species more quickly and accurately. The developed molecular signatures in this study will be helpful in the effective fishery management of these fish genetic resources.