Molecular Characterization of Cyprinus carpio var. communis and Carassius carassius from Kashmir

Cyprinus carpio (var. communis) and Carassius carassius (family Cyprinidae) are morphologically well characterized fish species but the ambiguity persists in their identification at very juvenile stage. This ambiguity could be more harmful in case of initial stocking of fries or in processed fish products that lack distinct morphological characters. The present study was conducted to characterize these species using molecular markers which could aid their decisive characterization. The molecular characterization was carried out using COI gene (620 bp) region. The results revealed a very low intra-specific nucleotide sequence divergence within both the species, whereas mean inter-specific nucleotide variation between the species was 0.154 (range 0.133–0.164). The sequences were also compared to the other species of genus Cyprinus and Carassius to depict their relationship with congeneric species as well as validation of molecular characterization. The topology of phylogenetic tree indicates the hetero-specificity of studied species from one another as well as to their congeneric one. Both the species were clustered in individual clades and grouped neighboring to the available reference sequences of the species. On the basis of present study it may concluded that CO1 gene region (620 bp) is suitable for molecular characterization of both the species which will also supplement their morphological characterization. Also the sequences can be utilized as reference in future molecular studies like population genetics and stock structure analysis of both the species.