MOLECULAR IDENTIFICATION OF SPECIES IN PAKISTAN USING CYTOCHROME C OXIDASE I (COI) GENE SEQUENCING

Abstract

DNA barcoding is a reliable and rapid approach for species identification that relies on standardized genetic markers. Among these, the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene is widely recognized for its effectiveness in molecular taxonomy. This study focused on the molecular identification and phylogeographic analysis of Cirrhinus reba (C. reba) using COI gene sequencing. COI sequences of this freshwater fish were obtained and analyzed, producing fragments under 500 base pairs, which were successfully barcoded using the mitochondrial COI marker. BLAST analysis demonstrated 100% sequence identity with reference data in the GenBank database, confirming the species as C. reba with a sequence length of 496 base pairs. The study highlights the effectiveness of DNA barcoding in assessing genetic diversity and species identification. To our knowledge, this represents the first molecular genetic report identifying this commercially important food fish in Pakistan. Moreover, DNA barcoding proves to be a valuable tool for molecular identification and for understanding evolutionary relationships within diverse freshwater ecosystems.